New York Yankees Reinstate Reliever From IL to Make Bullpen Even Stronger

The rich get richer.

An already strong New York Yankees bullpen is getting an important piece back, as the team activated reliever Ian Hamilton from the injured list on Wednesday.

The Yankees sent down starting pitcher Jhony Brito to make room for Hamilton.

Hamilton landed on the IL on May 17 with a right groin strain.

The Yankees signed Hamilton to a minor league deal in the offseason and he is looking like a bargain so far. In 22 innings this season, Hamilton had a 1.23 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 30 strikeouts.

The Yankees have the best bullpen ERA in baseball (2.83) this year, and that number should only improve with Hamilton now back.

Unfortunately, the Yankees will not be getting any reinforcements back on offense, which has been the source of their problems since superstar outfielder Aaron Judge tore a ligament in his toe on June 3.

Judge crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium was the worst thing to happen to the Yankees, who rank last in every important offensive category since this occurrence.

On Tuesday night, the Yankees lost 2-1 to the Oakland Athletics, who have the worst ERA in baseball. Beyond a Josh Donaldson home run, the Yankees were unable to score, as has been the case since Judge landed on the shelf.

The Yankees are 43-36 and 9.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. They are, however, tied for the second Wild Card spot in the AL with the Los Angeles Angels.