Let’s be real — bullpen games have their place. But rolling one out right after the All-Star break, with a fragile rotation and a road trip ahead? That’s a bold choice.
One that blew up in the Yankees’ face Friday night.
After cobbling together an 8–1 loss against the Braves, the Yankees are right back in familiar territory: short on pitching and scrambling for help.
Rico Garcia Gets the Axe After Ugly Loss
The aftermath was quick. As reported by The New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Yankees are designating reliever Rico Garcia for assignment, just a week after picking him up from the Mets — who, for what it’s worth, also DFA’d him.
Garcia pitched a clean(ish) inning in Thursday’s loss but became the odd man out in a bullpen shuffle that felt more like triage. He had been solid in limited action — a 3.45 ERA over 15.2 innings — but he was never more than a Band-Aid.
Now the Band-Aid’s off.
Breaking Down the Breakdown
So how did we get here? Buckle up.
The Yankees had four days off thanks to the All-Star break. They came into the second half already down bad with rotation injuries. But instead of calling up a fresh starter from Triple-A — or even going with Will Warren or Marcus Stroman (who was rested and ready) — they rolled with a full bullpen game.
Ian Hamilton opened.
J.T. Brubaker gave them three innings.
Rico Garcia and two more relievers followed.
The result? A tired bullpen and a loss in Game 1 of a road trip. Not exactly setting the tone.
This wasn’t just unlucky. It was avoidable.
What Now? A Whole Lot of Shrugging
The Yankees’ options heading into the weekend aren’t great.
- Cam Schlittler was scratched Friday with arm discomfort. They hope he can pitch against the Blue Jays.
- Max Fried has been pushed back to the Toronto series.
- There are still two games left in Atlanta, followed by three in Toronto.
That’s a lot of innings to cover with limited arms and no clear plan.
And sure, the MLB trade deadline is less than two weeks away, but that doesn’t help them this week. They need someone — anyone — to give them innings.
The Bigger Picture: Same Old Yankees Problem
If this whole mess feels familiar, it should. The Yankees have been in “scramble mode” more than they’ve been in control this season. Injuries, questionable rotation depth, and patchwork fixes have been a theme — and it’s wearing thin.
Fans can’t be blamed for asking:
Why not prepare better? Why not trust the depth pieces you already have?
Burning the bullpen right out of the gate doesn’t just hurt morale — it puts pressure on the entire roster.
Final Take: A Self-Inflicted Mess
The Yankees didn’t lose Thursday because of bad luck — they lost because of a bad plan. And now someone like Garcia pays the price while the team tries to stay afloat with duct tape and hope.
Unless the front office acts fast — or a Triple-A arm turns into a hidden gem — this could get worse before it gets better.
Trade deadline’s coming. But will the Yankees even have enough arms left to make it there without bleeding more losses?
We’re about to find out.
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