When the Yankees traded for Camilo Doval from the Giants last year, they expected the closer to transition into a setup role as part of a deep, new-look bullpen that also added David Bednar.
Instead, Doval was mostly a train wreck early in his Yankee tenure and clearly had a hard time getting accustomed to not finishing games.
He improved toward the end of the regular season, but with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver now with the Mets, the Yankees were again planning for Doval to be a primary setup reliever with Bednar closing, as he did Friday.
Perhaps it’s the return to Oracle Park, but Doval has been effective in his first two outings of this season — particularly in Friday’s 3-0 win over the Giants.
He struck out the side in order in the bottom of the eighth in a one-hit shutout that was closed out by Bednar.
Aaron Boone called the outing — and Doval’s sinker — “dominant.”
“That’s what he’s capable of,’’ the manager said. “He kind of overmatched them.”
Doval entered with a three-run lead Friday and whiffed Heliot Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey — hardly Murderer’s Row, but something he failed to do often last season, when he had a hard time adjusting to non-save situations.
Camilo Doval pitches during the Yankees-Giants game on March 27, 2026.
He managed to finish the regular season on a strong run. Doval pitched five scoreless innings in his final six appearances after a horrid start to his Yankees tenure (10 earned runs in 13 ²/₃ innings in his first 16 games with the team).
Doval said through an interpreter Friday he’s become “comfortable” in his new environment and role.
“I felt really good,’’ the right-hander added of Friday’s outing.
Doval saved 39 games for San Francisco in 2023, but looked far from that version for much of the second half of the season.
Doval followed Fernando Cruz and lefty Tim Hill, as the duo pitched 1 ²/₃ scoreless innings in relief of the outstanding Cam Schlittler.
With plenty of question marks in this year’s bullpen, as the team still has Jake Bird and Rule 5 acquisition Cade Winquest among their right-handers, Doval will look to be more of a setup man if all goes according to plan.
There’s always the chance that young phenom Carlos Lagrange, who the Yankees want to keep as a starter for as much of the season as possible, could be brought up to The Bronx as a reliever if he logs too many innings in the minors.
For now, though, the Yankees hope they get the Doval they thought they were acquiring from San Francisco last season.
