The Yankees will reportedly be without their closer for the foreseeable future.
Luke Weaver is expected to be placed on the injured list with a hamstring injury, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Weaver initially hurt himself while attempting to warm up in the bullpen during Sunday night’s game against the Dodgers.
Weaver underwent an MRI and could miss four to six weeks, according to Passan. The team has not yet confirmed the news or the timeline.
Weaver has a 1.05 ERA in 25 2/3 innings with eight saves this season, picking up where he left off following a breakout 2024 campaign. He’s served as the team’s closer since the last week of April, when the club removed Devin Williams from the ninth-inning role.
The Yankees beat the Dodgers 7-3 on Sunday night, though Weaver did not pitch the bottom of the ninth inning. It would have been a save opportunity until DJ LeMahieu’s two-out RBI double provided an insurance run. According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Weaver felt something in his hamstring while warming up, prompting New York to turn to left-hander Tim Hill instead.
“He felt something when he had finished warming up, and then when he went to stretch, he felt something in the middle of his hammy,” Boone said on Sunday.
A successful bullpen has helped key a strong start for the first-place Yankees. Entering play on Monday, New York’s relievers had a 3.70 ERA, the 13th-best mark in the Majors.
But injuries are quickly testing the unit’s depth: Weaver will join Fernando Cruz (2.66 ERA in 23 2/3 innings) and Jake Cousins (2.37 ERA in 38 innings last season) on the IL. Weaver’s injury places more of an onus on Williams, who has a 6.23 ERA in his first season with the Yankees following an offseason trade with the Brewers. The two-time All-Star has allowed just two runs in his last 11 outings.