The Yankees announced a number of roster changes today. First baseman Anthony Rizzo was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right forearm fracture, which was disclosed yesterday. They also added right-handers Ian Hamilton and Cody Poteet to the 15-day injured list. Hamilton’s relocation is due to a right lat strain and goes back to June 17. Poteet’s is the result of a right triceps injury and dates back to June 15. In similar transactions, they recalled left-hander Clayton Andrews and signed left-hander Anthony Misiewicz and catcher/infielder Ben Rice. Misiewicz and Rice’s actions were previously detailed on MLBTR.
In terms of the 40-man roster, the Yankees had one vacancy for Misiewicz/Rice but opened another by transferring righty Clarke Schmidt to the 60-day injured list. The 40-man is now full but the club is planning to reinstate righty Gerrit Cole from the 60-day IL tomorrow and will need to open a spot for him.
Poteet was called up a few weeks ago to fill a rotation place when Schmidt went on the injured list. Poteet has made four excellent starts since then, with a 2.14 earned run average for the season. Despite his great performance, he was likely to be optioned back to the minors to make room for Cole, as Luis Gil, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes, and Marcus Stroman had all been in good form this season.
But instead of going back down to the minors, Poteet is now on the IL. He won’t throw at all for the next week or two, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic on X, before taking things from there. The Yanks have the strongest rotation in the league this year, even before accounting for Cole’s return, as their collective 2.90 ERA leads the majors at the moment. But having both Schmidt and Poteet on the IL at the same time leaves their depth a bit thinned out.
Clayton Beeter, who hasn’t pitched at Triple-A since May 15, is on the 40-man roster. Yoendrys Gómez, who has a 3.13 ERA in Triple-A, has a high walk rate of 13.9%. If another rotation injury occurs, the depth situation may become a concern, but Schmidt and/or Poteet may be able to return to health before it becomes an issue. Hamilton’s injury appears to be even more significant. Hamilton’s injury appears to be more serious, as he will be unable to throw for three to four weeks, according to Kirschner on X. He’ll most certainly need to recover after such an absence, so he could be out for a few months, depending on how things progress in the meanwhile.
Last year, the righty emerged as a significant member of the Yankee bullpen, pitching 58 innings and posting a 2.64 ERA. His 10.9% walk rate was a little high, but he struck out 28.9% of batters and recorded grounders on 55.3% of balls in play. This year, his ERA has risen to 4.55, however this could be because to an injury. He had a 2.81 ERA after his June 6 appearance, but he has given up seven earned runs in four innings since then. If the latest issue began to bother him at that time, that could explain his recent struggles. In his absence, pitchers Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle, Caleb Ferguson, and Michael Tonkin will set up closer Clay Holmes. Most contending teams search for bullpen additions before the trade deadline, and the Yankees will undoubtedly be in the market because they presently have baseball’s best record.