Aaron Boone reveals Ryan Weathers pitching tactic that could help Yankees

The New York Yankees have a plethora of starting pitchers but not enough spots in the rotation. 

That will be especially true when Max Fried heals from a bone bruise in his pitching elbow and Clarke Schmidt returns from Tommy John surgery. 

Chances are, Schmidt will be sent to the bullpen upon his arrival. The Yankees will be careful about his workload.

That leaves two current starters who could be pushed to the bullpen. Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. Obviously, Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodon will not be considered. 

Of the two hurlers mentioned, Weathers feels like the safe bet to make the transition. The Yankees teased the idea on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians. 

Weathers warms up in bullpen against Guardians 

During the fourth inning of yesterday's game, Weathers began to warm up in the bullpen when Rodon found himself in a jam. 

“He was in play today,” Boone told The Athletic's Brendan Kuty, “which was awesome in and of itself. … He was ready for it and whatever we needed.”

Kuty reports the lefty was on board with the idea, ready to give the Yankees the length they needed. 

"Weathers said he was happy to do it, especially knowing how hard the bullpen had been worked in recent days," Kuty wrote. "He was also mindful of how the Yankees value having fresh arms in their bullpen and that if one of them were to get overworked, that reliever might face a demotion to Triple-A." 

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For now, Weathers is a top candidate to be moved to the bullpen when the time comes.

He has exceeded expectations thus far, posting a 3.86 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 70 innings while holding batters to a .167 batting average against his sweeper. 

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