Yankees' Aroldis Chapman Continues to Struggle in High-Leverage Situations
NEW YORK — Aroldis Chapman is still a liability coming out of the Yankees' bullpen.
Making his sixth appearance since returning from the injured list—after missing a month with left Achilles tendinitis—Chapman served up a go-ahead solo home run to Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec in the seventh inning on Friday night.
Dalbec's solo shot didn't end up deciding the game—New York came back in the ninth to tie the score before losing in the 11th, missing countless opportunities to walk it off—but it certainly summoned the boo birds in the Bronx, fans frustrated with the way the left-hander has pitched recently.
This isn't the first time Chapman has delivered a poor performance in a pivotal part of a game since returning from the injured list. Over the weekend in Boston, Chapman gave up the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and took the loss at Fenway Park. That frame featured a few bloopers and a pair of walks.
Let's not forget the fact that Chapman gave up at least one earned run in each of his final five outings before landing on the IL in May, the first time in his career he's ever accomplished such a feat. Chapman entered play on May 11 without giving up a run across 12 appearances in 2022. Since then, his ERA has swelled to 4.74 (after 10 earned runs in his last 8.2 frames).
Tie games have been Chapman's kryptonite all season. Opponents are hitting .455 (5-for-11) with a 1.563 OPS when the score is knotted and Chapman is on the mound.
In all fairness, New York's bullpen has faced a significant amount of adversity lately. Ron Marinaccio recently landed on the injured list, Miguel Castro is expected to join him on the IL after an MRI on Friday and Jonathan Loáisiga was just activated after missing six weeks with a shoulder injury, struggling in his return on Thursday. Another key reliever, Chad Green, is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Even with a thinned out group in the 'pen, it's clear New York can't trust Chapman in high-leverage situations. At least not right now.
He has a few months in the second half of the regular season to prove he's capable of getting outs in important spots, but with the way he's pitched lately, Chapman shouldn't be out there with the game on the line.
To take this a step further, you can also argue that New York would benefit from acquiring a left-handed reliever before next month's trade deadline. Adding a veteran and a reliable asset to this bullpen for the stretch run could pay huge dividends when the calendar flips to October.
Luckily for the Yankees, Clay Holmes has distinguished himself as a lights-out closer this year while Michael King has blossomed in a versatile role in the back of the 'pen as well. Those two can't pitch every night, though. New York still needs to figure out who they can turn to when those right-handers are unavailable or when they need to bridge the gap from whoever is starting to their dynamic and dominant duo.
As of now, Albert Abreu (0.84 ERA in nine appearances) and Wandy Peralta (2.27 ERA in 33 games) are much higher on the trust tree than Chapman.
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