New York Yankees' Luke Weaver Suffers Hamstring Injury, Expected to Miss 4-to-6 Weeks

Luke Weaver injured his hamstring preparing for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, potentially costing the New York Yankees their star closer for over a month.
Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Luke Weaver (30) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park.
Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Luke Weaver (30) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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The New York Yankees are expected to place relief pitcher Luke Weaver on the injured list, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Monday night.

Weaver injured his hamstring warming up for Sunday night's showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 31-year-old righty could miss four-to-six weeks following an MRI, but Passan clarified that the official timetable for his return won't be revealed until Tuesday.

Through 24 appearances in 2025, Weaver is 1-1 with a 1.05 ERA, 0.701 WHIP, 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings, eight saves and six holds. He stepped in as New York's primary closer after All-Star trade acquisition Devin Williams stumbled out of the gates.

Prior to arriving in the Bronx, Weaver bounced around as a swingman with the St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners. To that point in his career, Weaver was 26-41 with a 5.15 ERA, 1.442 WHIP, 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.3 WAR.

Weaver took a massive leap once he first put on pinstripes in September 2023, going 9-5 with a 2.56 ERA, 0.919 WHIP, 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.6 WAR from that point on. That doesn't even include his 12 stellar outings in the 2024 postseason, across which Weaver went 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA, 0.652 WHIP and 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Yankees have a clear replacement closer in Williams, who is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.800 WHIP, 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings and five holds since May 7. But even if Williams can keep up that level of production in the ninth inning, New York will have to get creative with its other high-leverage relievers.

Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill and Jonathan Loáisiga are in line to take on larger roles out of the Yankees' bullpen, should Weaver miss the next month of action.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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