DFA'd Reliever Should Have Yankees' Interest as Bullpen Continues to Seek Help

Statistically, the Yankees' bullpen looks okay. Their 3.59 ERA ranks 10th in baseball. Their combined 2.0 WAR, according to FanGraphs, is slightly worse. They're 11th there.

Things get a little tricky, though, when you watch these games and see what's actually happening. If it's late and close, David Bednar is likely not to get started until he has at least one runner in scoring position. Camilo Doval was meant to be his set-up man, and, despite being able to hit 102 mph, he is as big a question mark as Bednar.

Then there was the last game between the Yankees and the Athletics. It was supposed to be a blowout, but Tim Hill and Fernando Cruz, who are usually dependable, let them back into that game.

If the Yankees are going to get bullpen help, they should be searching high and low. Especially as they let Carlos Lagrange marinate in the minors a bit and have to ultimately decide if Ryan Weathers should be an option as well once Max Fried comes back. One external name to look out for is Ryan Borucki, who was just designated for assignment by the Giants on Sunday, per NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.

The Giants called up Jonah Cox from Double-A. Ryan Borucki was DFA’d to clear a roster spot. Brennan was optioned and Beck is back for bullpen.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) May 31, 2026

Look, it isn't the most lavish name on the market, but consider the fact that the Giants aren't the most well-run organization, and Buster Posey has found that constructing a team is actually hard to do. Somebody like Borucki, who looks like the second coming of Ryan Webber, could be an option worth considering. The Yankees might have a better job at mining the most out of his talents than San Francisco.

Borucki by the numbers

In the 2026 MLB season, Borucki has a 4.94 ERA in 23 2/3 innings across 21 relief appearances (seven games finished). The biggest knock against him is that he doesn't strike out a lot of batters, so he would be more of the same.

Borucki has a sixth-percentile strikeout rate, but where he makes his bones is with soft contact. He has a slightly above-average exit velocity of 88.3 mph and a 39.7% hard-hit rate. He does have an 81st-percentile 5.1% barrel rate, though, and that should be intriguing enough.

Ryan Borucki pitches. — The Yankees could give Ryan Borucki the fresh start that he desperately needs. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Borucki's ERA has ballooned a bit because of his last three outings, allowing five earned runs on eight hits with three walks issued in 5 1/3 innings. That feels like the biggest reason why the Giants gave him the axe, but that doesn't mean his career can't be revived in the Big Apple.

Besides, Borucki had a decent stretch between April 15 and May 18, during which he allowed only three earned runs on 10 hits while striking out seven batters in 13 innings. He didn't allow a homer, either. New York certainly wouldn't mind an arm like that operating out of the bullpen.

The question for the Yankees, or any team interested, is: who is the real Borucki? The most recent version of him, who is hemorrhaging runs, or the one who was dependable for a month? Let's see if New York is curious enough to find out.

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