Amidst Clay Holmes’ recent woes, Yankees Will Become ‘Creative’ With Ninth-Inning Plans
It’s no longer a foregone conclusion that Clay Holmes will pitch in save situations for the New York Yankees, at least in the short term.
The 31-year-old closer, who leads the majors in blown saves (11) this season, has struggled considerably since the All-Star break and owns a 4.50 ERA over 17 relief appearances during the unofficial second half. Walks, in particular, have been a concern, as he’s issued nine over his last 16 innings pitched.
However, the longball resulted in his latest blown save on Tuesday versus the Texas Rangers, as rookie Wyatt Langford delivered a crushing blow via a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning.
While New York isn’t officially removing Holmes as its primary closer, he’ll likely receive fewer save situations as the coaching staff attempts to become more “creative” with its usage at the back end of the bullpen down the stretch.
“Just try and put these guys in the best position to be successful,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday, including MLB.com’s Drew Davison, of the club’s uncertain closer’s role. “How that shakes out may vary a little bit every night, but in the short term, that’s the way we’ll go.”
Despite his recent woes, Holmes has been one of the most effective closers in baseball over the past few seasons, with his 73 saves tied for ninth among major-league relievers since 2022. During that span, he’s posted the second-highest ground-ball rate (69.1 percent) and the ninth-highest fWAR (4.0).
The Yankees right-hander still features one of the hardest sinkers in the sport, with his heater producing an 88th-percentile average velocity (96.5 mph) this season. Paired with a devastating slider, he owns a 29.2-percent whiff rate that ranks in the 78th percentile.
Though Holmes’ results haven’t been pretty lately, several under-the-hood signs suggest he’s due for an eventual positive regression. Still, with a thin margin for error, the Yankees are expected to utilize a closer-by-committee strategy based on matchups moving forward.
“[I] trust a lot of guys,” Boone said. “Just how it matches up is how we’ll go. … That’s how we’ll go into it every night.”
Alternative closing options likely include Jake Cousins, Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle – all of whom have worked in high-leverage situations this season. Mark Leiter Jr. – acquired from the Chicago Cubs in July – could also receive consideration, given that he registered seven career saves from 2022-23.
As a whole, New York’s bullpen has struggled since the All-Star break, sitting tied for 24th in ERA (4.76) entering Friday’s series opener at Wrigley Field. They’re also 23rd in FIP (4.49) and walks allowed (65) while being tied for 25th in fWAR (0.0).
Finding a quick solution will be critical for the Yankees, who trail the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles by just half a game with 22 contests remaining – 21 after Friday.
That’ll be just as important for Holmes, considering he’ll become a free agent this winter.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
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