Yankees Place Ryan Weathers on 15-Day IL with Forearm Strain

The New York Yankees placed left-hander Ryan Weathers on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a left forearm flexor strain, a day after he exited a start against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning. Weathers is optimistic he can return by the end of the season, though he will not throw for two to four weeks, manager Aaron Boone said.

"Big picture, obviously really good news," Boone said before the Yankees' series finale against Toronto. "We'll try and let this thing calm down here and hopefully get him back in some capacity before the end."

The Injury and Immediate Reaction

Weathers left Saturday's 4-3 loss after throwing a sweeper to Myles Straw with one out in the fourth inning. The pitch was his 72nd of the afternoon, and Weathers immediately signaled to the dugout, circling the mound before catcher Austin Wells came out to check on him. Boone and a trainer followed, and Weathers walked off without testing his arm. Yerry De Los Santos entered in relief.

"I just knew something was off," Weathers said Sunday. "Kind of didn't feel right. I could have kept pitching no doubt, but it was like, this is stupid. There is time to be a competitor and a time to be smart and we're kind of in the vulnerable part of the year where I want to pitch in September and I want to pitch in the postseason, so I thought that was the best option yesterday."

Weathers said he initially felt pain throwing a pitch to Daz Cameron and that it continued when he allowed a single to rookie Charles McAdoo. He allowed two runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings, taking the loss and falling to 5-8 on the season.

An MRI revealed a low-grade strain of his left flexor tendon, with the ulnar collateral ligament intact — a result Weathers described as "almost not even a Grade 1 strain... More just irritated than anything." Weathers was still awaiting consultation with team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad when he spoke to reporters.

Catcher Austin Wells, who was among the first to reach Weathers on the mound, said, "I went out there to check on him and he just said he didn't feel right."

A Career-Best Season and a Familiar Injury

The 26-year-old son of former New York reliever David Weathers joined the Yankees in a January trade with the Miami Marlins after consecutive injury-shortened seasons. This year, he had posted a 3.60 ERA across 25 starts, with a career-high 143 strikeouts and 137 1/3 innings pitched.

Weathers has been particularly sharp since the All-Star break: he posted a 1.94 ERA over seven starts, including a 0.85 ERA over his last five outings before Saturday. He had a 0.69 ERA over his previous four starts spanning 26 innings. That followed a midseason adjustment in which he scaled back his four-seam fastball and leaned on his sinker, slider and changeup.

Weathers missed time last season with the Marlins due to a strained left flexor and a strained left lat, which limited him to eight starts. He said this injury feels less severe than that one: "I personally don't think so," he said when asked if it was worse. He added that yesterday's scans showed it was less significant than what he dealt with last spring training.

Impact on the Rotation

Weathers became the fourth Yankees starting pitcher to go on the injured list this season, joining Gerrit Cole (who missed the first 51 games), Max Fried (who is on the IL for the second time with a bone bruise in his left elbow) and Carlos Rodón (who had two IL stints). The team has had 15 players on the injured list this year, and Fried has missed 58 games with a pair of bone bruises.

Rodón returned from his elbow injury on Tuesday and pitched four innings in Sunday's 8-3 win over Toronto. Max Fried threw a bullpen session Saturday, and there is hope he will miss only the minimum 15 days.

With Weathers sidelined, the Yankees recalled right-hander Brendan Beck from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Beck, who made his MLB debut May 7, has allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings in a July 4 spot start and carries a 9.45 ERA in 6 2/3 career major league innings. He has been strong at Triple-A this season, posting a 2.75 ERA with 133 strikeouts over 121 innings in 22 starts.

Will Warren, listed as Tuesday's starter, will remain in the rotation, and the Yankees have not yet named a replacement for Weathers' next turn. Options mentioned by reporters include Ryan Yarbrough, who has been used as a multi-inning reliever, and top prospect Elmer Rodríguez, who has a 1.69 ERA in three August starts at Triple-A. Clarke Schmidt is expected to throw live batting practice Tuesday and could factor in later.

Looking Ahead

The Yankees, who entered Sunday's play with a 73-56 record, three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, are navigating a stretch of injuries to key pitchers. Boone acknowledged the challenge but expressed confidence: "I think we'll be all right," he said after Saturday's loss. "Obviously you never want significant pieces to go down. That's part of it. We've had people step up all year and we'll need to do that again."

Weathers said he is hopeful of returning before the season ends, and Boone said there is a "great chance" he pitches again this season, possibly as a reliever. The team had been considering moving one of its starters to the bullpen for October, and Weathers, if healthy, could fill that role.

"Hopefully, it's on the shorter end of that and we ramp him back up to be a factor for us by the end," Boone said.

In the meantime, the Yankees activated center fielder Cody Bellinger from the injured list Sunday, a boost for an offense that has struggled to score runs lately and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in Saturday's loss.