SAN FRANCISCO — This season, the bullpen reinforcements the Yankees acquired at last year’s trade deadline have proven far more effective than they did in 2025.
Camilo Doval has shown promise in his first two outings this year after a challenging stint in New York. Meanwhile, Jake Byrd seems to have turned a corner in his performance.
He made a significant impact by securing five crucial outs in Saturday’s 3-1 victory against the Giants at Oracle Park.
Before this game, Byrd hadn’t pitched a scoreless inning in a win since late June. This lack of success could partly be attributed to his struggles with the Rockies and, of course, his brief rough patch with the Yankees before being sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“It’s good to have a fresh start,” Byrd remarked, and yeah, maybe he really needed that.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone had pointed out all spring long that Byrd would be an asset for the team under his guidance.
In the contest against the Giants, Byrd came in during the bottom of the 6th inning with the Yankees holding a two-run lead. At that moment, Brent Headrick had just let Rafael Devers hit a leadoff double, putting Byrd in a bit of a tight spot.
He allowed a single to Herriot Ramos, which advanced Devers to third base, adding to the pressure.
But Byrd came through, striking out Willie Adames and inducing a ground ball from Harrison Bader for an inning-ending double play, preserving the Yankees’ lead.
Starting the seventh inning, he forced Patrick Bailey to pop out to shortstop and then struck out Casey Schmidt before Boone brought in Tim Hill to finish the inning.
Mr. Boone called Byrd’s performance “amazing.” He noted, “He finished spring training strong and has been sharp in both regular-season outings.”
With Doval unavailable, Boone said he had to find ways to manage the bullpen effectively after Will Warren had a good outing but pitched just 4⅓ innings.
Byrd’s role in the bullpen is crucial for a team that lost Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to free agency and now relies heavily on him and Doval to pitch up to their potential.
Last year, Doval struggled to adapt when asked to pitch in lower-leverage situations.
When the Yankees brought Byrd in, he was clearly in a tough spot as he sought to move on from his time in Colorado. He had allowed 18 earned runs over 9⅓ innings during his last dozen appearances with them and struggled with six earned runs in just two innings during three games with the Yankees before his reassignment.
The Yankees were intrigued by Byrd’s strikeout potential, especially if he could curb his walk rate.
Boone isn’t hesitant to put Byrd in significant situations; he’s performed well in the season’s first two games with three strikeouts and no walks.
Aaron Judge mentioned, “Running him all season will be a challenge,” indicating the careful management ahead.
