Dave Roberts, Kirby Yates Get Brutally Honest on His Struggles This Season

The idea behind the Dodgers signing Kirby Yates to a $13 million contract in January was fairly straightforward.

Even in his age-38 season, the Dodgers saw the value in adding a reliever with closing experience, set-up experience, and two All-Star seasons under his belt. Yates' raw pitch speed is not overpowering, but that was part of his appeal.

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Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen and Evan Phillips already offered devastating fastball/slider combinations from the right side. Yates' 93-mph fastball featured above-average movement, while his 86-mph split-fingered fastball was statistically his best pitch in 2024 with the Texas Rangers.

Predictably, the Dodgers had Yates throw the splitter more often early this season. In March and April, it was his most-frequently used pitch (52.9 percent, compared to 47.1 percent for the fastball). But the same splitter that opposing batters compiled a .149 weighted on-base average against last season (compared to .208 against the fastball) betrayed him.

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This season, batters have a .378 weighted on-base average against the pitch, per Statcast. Lefties (.419 wOBA) have been especially invulnerable to its powers. Eventually, the fastball became more dominant in his repertoire.

Speaking to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Yates acknowledged the obvious.

"Terrible,” Yates said of how his splitter has been this year. “If you put the combination of both together and you’ve got lack of command and you don’t really have anything to back it up with, any time you throw a ball over the plate, it’s probably going to get hit hard. That’s pitching in the big leagues.”

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Yates has allowed runs in four of his last seven outings. One was an unearned run in the 10th inning of a loss in Milwaukee on July 9, but the Dodgers haven't had the luxury of bumping Yates down their bullpen pecking order.

Treinen returned from the injured list Sunday but Kopech, Phillips and closer Tanner Scott are all on the injured list. As a result, Yates has been thrust into five save situations, converting three.

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The Dodgers' patient approach with the veteran is less by choice than by necessity.

“Well, I think that he’s certainly going through some things mentally right now, and scuffling,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Boston. “There’s a little bit of confidence kind of wavering, I’m sure. But I just feel that with the guys that we have out there, if the situation calls for it, I’ve got no problem having him finish a game.”

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