The Yankees’ rotation has taken a few too many punches this spring. Gerrit Cole is out for the year. Luis Gil is down for months. Clarke Schmidt has had his scares. But while the starting five is scrambling to hold the line, the bullpen remains one of the most quietly dominant groups in baseball—and they may be deep enough to absorb one more temporary absence.
Ian Hamilton’s Delayed Start
Right-hander Ian Hamilton was projected to be a key piece out of the bullpen to begin the 2025 season, but it appears the Yankees may take the cautious route with him.
Hamilton, who dealt with an offseason infection that stalled his ramp-up, is nearing full health after throwing a live batting practice session on Monday, per Max Goodman of NJ.com. Though he’s healthy enough to pitch, pitching coach Matt Blake indicated the Yankees are leaning toward giving him a couple extra weeks to get right.
“I just don’t think we’d put him in the best spot if he had to pitch two out of three or three out of four, something like that right out of the gate,” Blake said.
It’s a smart approach. Hamilton only tossed 37.2 innings last season, posting a 3.82 ERA. That was a step back from his breakout 2023, when he logged 58 innings with a sparkling 2.64 ERA, striking out 10.7 per nine and generating a 55.3% ground ball rate. He was a bullpen swiss-army knife that season—efficient, nasty, and heavily relied upon.
But last year, the strikeouts dipped and the ground balls didn’t come quite as easily. The Yankees want to be sure they’re getting the version of Hamilton who dominated in 2023, not rushing him back just to plug a hole.
Yoendrys Gomez Making His Case
Fortunately, the Yankees have some spring standouts ready to fill the gap.
Yoendrys Gomez, a 25-year-old right-hander, has been a revelation in Grapefruit League play. Over 11.1 innings, Gomez has yet to allow a single run. He’s been surgical with his command and confident with his mix, showing enough poise to deserve a roster spot heading into the regular season.
Gomez made his MLB debut in 2023 and flashed signs of promise. But this spring, he’s shown consistency and maturity that the Yankees didn’t fully see coming. That’s a win for a bullpen that’s looking to maintain elite depth while juggling rotation injuries and managing workloads carefully.
A Long Season, A Deep Pen
Even without Hamilton to open the year, the Yankees have arms they trust. It’s a unit built with power, control, and versatility.
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And Hamilton will be back soon enough. The Yankees are playing the long game, and with the amount of innings they’ll need to cover this year, having a fresh, ramped-up Hamilton in April might be even more valuable than trying to squeeze a few innings out of him in March.