What a tragedy: There he is! Aaron Boone Yankees injury prone key pitcher set for another Injury limbo few days after return” ahead of next fixture” could be good news for opponent…
Ian Hamilton was expected back in the bullpen sooner rather than later by the New York Yankees. Currently on a minor league rehab assignment, Hamilton lost about two months due to a right lat strain that he sustained in June.
Hamilton did not pitch on Friday, despite being slated to play for Double-A Somerset. An update on Hamilton was given by Yankees manager Aaron Boone prior to Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Boone stated, “He got scratched from his outing and had some back spasms yesterday.” The fact that he is here today doesn’t seem significant. He might even go play catch today, but not until he experienced some back spasms that didn’t go away.
It does not seem like this is a significant issue for Hamilton based on Boone’s comments. However, it still means that the Yankees will likely be getting their reliever back later than they initially anticipated. Despite Boone’s confidence that Hamilton’s latest setback was not too serious, he did not confirm when his next rehab appearance would be.
The Yankees currently have the best record in the American League and are 1 1/2 games up on the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. With the Orioles so close in the standings, every game going forward is crucial for the Yankees to guarantee a first round bye in the postseason. Hamilton would be a huge help and provide some much-needed depth to the Yankees pitching staff.
Why the Yankees need Ian Hamilton
The Yankees would have loved to be able to add Hamilton back into their bullpen mix, especially since closer Clay Holmes has come back down to earth after his scorching hot start to the season where he did not allow an earned run through his first 20 appearances.
In 27 appearances with the Yankees before going down in June, the 29-year-old Hamilton had a 4.55 ERA through 29 2/3 innings. Hamilton was much more effective last season, with a 2.64 ERA in 58 innings. The Yankees hope would be that in this crucial stretch run, Hamilton could recapture some of what he showed in 2023.
Hamilton utilizes a fastball-sinker-slider combination to get hitters out. His four seamer, which has averaged 96.3 mph this season, has been especially effective. Opposing hitters are batting just .136 against it according to Baseball Savant..
Before joining the Yankees last season, Hamilton had previously spent time with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox organizations.
