NEW YORK – The Yankees activated reliever Luke Weaver from the 15-day injured list before Friday night's 5-3 loss to the Orioles at Yankee Stadium, and he will split the closer’s role with right-hander Devin Williams, according to manager Aaron Boone.
Weaver spent 17 days on the IL because of a left hamstring strain. Before the injury, the right-hander was one of the best relievers in the game, converting eight of nine save opportunities with a 1.05 ERA in 25 2/3 innings over 24 appearances.
Weaver looked rusty in his first game back Friday. He entered the game in the eighth inning with the score tied at 3. Ramón Urías led off and was behind in the count, 0-2, but he worked it full before hitting the ball over the right-field wall for his fifth home run of the season.
“Good at-bat [by Urías]. I threw a solid pitch [four-seam fastball], but he put a pretty good swing on it,” Weaver said. “It’s pretty devastating to go over. Obviously not the start I was looking forward to. I felt like I let the team down at that moment. I’ve obviously got to bounce back.
“The whole outing, if I had to reflect on it quickly, it was about the two strikes. It was about trying to put him away. It’s hard sometimes to just find that line to where that swing and miss is and when they are putting together good at-bats and good takes. It’s not quite where you want it to be. You feel like you are pitching a little defensive, and it becomes hard to get the swing and miss.”
After Weaver walked Gary Sánchez with one out, allowed a single to pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn and got Dylan Carlson to line out, left-hander Tim Hill entered the game and allowed an RBI single to pinch-hitter Gunnar Henderson.
Asked if the long layoff hurt Weaver, Boone said, “It may be a little bit. He gets ahead of Urías and kind of loses him and lets him back in. [Urías] put a good swing to ride it out of there. … I don’t think Weaver is that far off. [The Orioles] took advantage of some pitches.”
Williams started the season as the Yankees' closer, but he lost his job to Weaver on April 27 after allowing 12 runs (10 earned) in eight innings. It didn’t help that opposing hitters had a .462 batting average against his four-seamer and were hitting .273 against the Airbender changeup. But in his past 15 games, Williams has a 1.88 ERA while saving five games.
“On some nights, [Weaver] will be [the closer,]” Boone said before the game. “I kind of look at him and Devin like we have two elite guys [in the back end of the bullpen]. With how well Devin has been throwing the ball the last month, you pretty much are going to keep him to an inning.
“With Weav, he is kind of the fireman kind of guy. It’s a big spot in the seventh where you need to get an out, that will be kind of Weav’s role. On the nights where they are both available and we are in the eighth inning in a save situation, I will probably match it up to how I think they line up best with who is coming up in that situation.”
Weaver is returning to the team without having a rehab assignment. He said his body feels great to return to action.
“The body has reacted every single day. We pushed it to the limits smartly," Weaver said. “Throwing hasn’t been delayed in any way, and I feel ready to go tonight.
“I know it was two-plus weeks [since I last pitched], but the velocity is there. I was up to 96 [mph] in live batting practice, which is very nice. My [bullpen sessions] have been 94, 95. That’s on the high end that I will ever do when I’m fully healthy.”