Mr. Dependable: Brent Headrick's Importance to Yankees' Success Is Flying Under the Radar

Brent Headrick has become Mr. Dependable for a Yankees bullpen that hasn't yet established its identity yet.

Brent Headrick is doing everything the Yankees are asking of him (and more) this season. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Whenever the Yankees are in a situation with multiple runners on base and the game on the verge of teetering in either direction, it always feels like manager Aaron Boone calls to the same person. It's Brent Headrick trotting out from the bullpen, doing all the dirty work. In Monday's series opener against the Guardians, it was much the same, and just like on most nights, Headrick did the job.

Against the Guardians, Will Warren had been rocky all game, and it ended up being another job for Headrick to clean up the mess. In the third inning, Warren faced eight batters, allowing Cleveland to tie the game at 3-3. That fifth inning was looking like it was heading in the same direction when he hit Bryan Rocchio, then got a bit unlucky when a catcher's interference allowed José Ramírez to get on base.

Before Ramírez could even take off his shin guards and make his way up the line to take his base, Boone had already sauntered from the pen, calling out to Headrick. It was yet another night where the most important inning was going to the lefty, who, at one point, had his career derailed by Tommy John, and the Yankees picked him up off waivers before the start of the 2025 season.

With runners on, Headrick did what Headrick does best. He fanned the flames.

Brent Headrick strands two of Will Warren's baserunners to keep the Yankees lead intact pic.twitter.com/w56EzXPJSX

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 9, 2026

Chase DeLautner struck out swinging on a perfectly placed 95.5 MPH fastball at the bottom of the zone. From there, after one loud foul ball, Headrick got Hoskins to foul out to Ben Rice.

A solid two-game stretch for for Headrick

The Guardians did eventually take the lead at one point, and the Yankees eventually stormed back, sealing a thrilling extra-inning victory. Still, things could have been a little different if that fifth inning had gotten out of hand.

Headrick was in a similar position the day before against the Red Sox. With the game still tied 1-1 and the Yankees facing a Boston bullpen that is one of the best in the league, Headrick came up with a runner on and one out.

Andruw Monasterio quickly singled, and the former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded into a double play after a six-pitch at-bat. It was a slider essentially at his hands that did Kiner-Falefa in that at-bat. He meekly grounded out, and Headrick was out of the jam.

Inherited runners

Statistically, Headrick is one of the better bullpen arms in the league when there are runners on. He has stranded 88.7% of runners on base. That's 15th in baseball this year. Few relievers are better than this. The names above him are the likes of Raisel Iglesias and Aroldis Chapman.

Headrick had a few tough moments early on. A three-run blast Coby Mayo served up against him in Baltimore was a low point, but outside of that, Headrick has been great.

There have been a few bumpy spots, but that hasn't stopped Brent Headrick from being a bright spot in the Yankees' bullpen. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

For all the talk about the Yankees' bullpen, Headrick has been one of the staples that have kept this team afloat. He has done a better job this season than Camilo Doval and David Bednar, who were both supposed to anchor the unit in the eighth and ninth innings.

If one were to give an early-season MVP award to one pen arm on the team this season, it's probably Headrick.