When Aroldis Chapman was suspended, the fan base didn’t go insane when they found out New York will be without the flamethrower until early-May. The addition of Chapman was only meant to enhance an elite bullpen.
In the month of April last year, Miller was 8-for-8 in save opportunities, had an ERA of 0.00, batters only batted .081 against him, and the lefty had 20 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched. So no Chapman for April was just fine.
Now, however, they have to deal with no Chapman and no Miller. Leaving Betances to be a loner in the back end of the ‘pen.
The 6’8″ righty will do just fine as closer, but what about the bridge to get to him?
Don’t forget, Bryan Mitchell (.057 ERA this spring) went down with a toe injury on his planting foot in the same game Miller was hurt in. If his injury turns out to be serious, the Yankees lost two of their best relievers yesterday.
Chasen Shreve would likely step into the eighth-inning setup role with, but he’s still a question mark after having a 13.50 ERA in 10 September appearances.
He has not allowed a run in spring training, but we need to see some consistency in the regular season before we deem him worthy of manning the eight inning.
The other pitchers that will make up the bullpen, assuming Mitchell misses significant time, are Johnny Barbato, Kirby Yates, and Ivan Nova.
None of these guys have significant service time out of the bullpen, and both Nova and Yates had an ERA above five last season. Barbato has yet to make his major league debut.
If Miller misses significant time, the Yankees will find themselves in a crummy predicament.
Although they get Chapman back in May, the AL East has no clear favorite and will be a tight knit race all year long. New York could use any win they could get.
