What Ron Marinaccio's Injury Means For Yankees' Bullpen Heading Into Playoffs

Marinaccio has landed on the injured list with a stress reaction in his shin, making him ineligible to pitch in the ALDS, a significant blow to New York's banged-up bullpen.

Ron Marinaccio didn't seem too concerned after exiting Sunday's game, experiencing soreness in his shin. The reliever, along with manager Aaron Boone, explained that this has been a lingering issue all season, associating the discomfort with the wear and tear of a lengthy campaign. 

After more imaging on that shin, however, it turns out that Marinaccio is dealing with something more serious than just soreness, an injury that will impact his availability for the postseason.

Marinaccio was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with a stress reaction in his right shin. That rules Marinaccio out for the American League Division Series. Right-hander Albert Abreu took his place on the active roster, returning from his elbow injury for the final three games of the regular season.

In other words, Marinaccio's stellar rookie season is over unless the Yankees are able to advance to the American League Championship Series. Even then, there are no guarantees that Marinaccio would be healthy enough to return at that point later this month.

While he was a highly-touted prospect entering this season, coming off a breakout year in the minor leagues, Marinaccio exceeded all expectations out of New York's bullpen in 2022. With his knee-buckling changeup and stoic demeanor on the mound, the 27-year-old quickly established himself as one of the most reliable and consistent relievers in pinstripes.

Marinaccio had posted a 1.13 ERA over his last 40 innings, striking out 50 batters and allowing just 16 hits in that span. Beyond the numbers, Marinaccio was routinely used as an extinguisher out of the 'pen, a reliever Boone and the coaching staff trusted to stop the bleeding in relief of a struggling starter or bridge the gap to the ninth inning in high leverage late in games. 

Losing Marinaccio hurts even more when you widen your lens in the Yankees bullpen. That's when all the other question marks and concerns come into focus.

New York is set to enter the postseason without a closer. Clay Holmes, who was an All-Star in that role in the first half, is currently shut down with a shoulder strain. Holmes has also pitched poorly for an extended period, posting a 5.92 ERA over 24.1 innings since July 12. 

Another key piece in the back end of New York's bullpen that's currently unavailable is Wandy Peralta. The left-hander is working back from left thoracic spine tightness and hasn't pitched since September 18. Both Holmes and Peralta are expected to be available for the ALDS. It's unclear what versions of those relievers will be available out of the bullpen in Game 1 on October 11, though. 

On the active roster, relievers like Scott Effross, Lou Trivino and Jonathan Loáisiga are poised to be leaned on heavily when the game is on the line, each an option to be used in save situations this month. 

Effross (a rookie) and Trivino (a reliever with ample high-leverage experience) were both acquired at the trade deadline. Imagine the situation the Yankees would be in if they didn't make those trades and add reinforcements back in August.

From there, you can make the argument that Loáisiga is one of the most important players on this team entering the playoffs. If he can continue to pitch well and recapture his form from his breakout campaign a year ago, he can singlehandedly carry this bullpen, dominating in a variety of roles—just like Michael King did before he went down with an elbow injury earlier this summer. 

The alternative makes this situation even scarier. Remember, Loáisiga began this year with a 6.04 ERA over his first 33 appearances. His ERA didn't dip below 5.00 until the month of September—the right-hander has allowed just three runs in his last 18.2 innings pitched. 

Without Marinaccio, other relievers like Lucas Luetge, Domingo Germán, Clarke Schmidt and (gulp) Aroldis Chapman will be lifted into more important roles in the postseason. Yes, there's a good chance Chapman is left off the postseason roster, but the alternatives bring their own question marks. Can the Yankees trust Miguel Castro or Albert Abreu coming off their injuries? Would another inexperienced rookie like Greg Weissert be an option for the ALDS? 

Even if Chapman lost all control—as he often does—in his last Yankee Stadium postseason audition against Baltimore the other day, his ceiling is much higher than each of those aforementioned relievers. He was also coming off five scoreless outings in a row in the month of September, before his clunker in the Bronx on Sunday.

The final option would be to leave Chapman and each of those last few relievers off, heading into the ALDS with 12 pitchers rather than 13. That would open the door for an additional (14th) position player on the 26-man roster like speedster Tim Locastro or prospect Oswald Peraza.

MORE:

• Pulled From No-Hitter, Luis Severino Keeps 'Bigger Picture' in Mind
• Yankees' Luis Severino Throws Seven No-Hit Innings in Final Start of Regular Season
• Aroldis Chapman Loses Control in Postseason Audition

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