Apr 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher David Bednar (53) reacts to getting the last out and the save during the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Athletics was a tale of two different New York Yankees teams. A 2-0 lead after the first inning had the Yankees on track to beat the A’s again; however, they took their foot off the gas soon after. New York allowed the visitors to rally back, with Brent Rooker’s ninth-inning sacrifice fly off closer David Bednar serving as the final nail in the coffin.
It was another concerning performance from Bednar, who notched a save in all five of his outings before being credited with Wednesday’s defeat. The 31-year-old righty has been a concern among Yankees fans due to a noticeable dip in velocity, as his four-seamer is currently sitting at an average of 95.6 MPH, per Baseball Savant.
Despite the red flags, he apparently doesn’t see anything to worry about.
“It’s early in the season and the weather [is cold],” Bednar said, via NY Post’s Dan Martin and Mark W. Sanchez. “It’s nothing to panic about.”
Additionally, Yankees manager Aaron Boone went out of his way to reveal he isn’t sweating his closer’s situation, either, also blaming the weather for a slow start.
“(David has) been consistently in the mid-90s. This is a stretch where he’s thrown a lot of pitches,” Boone told YES Network‘s Meredith Marakovits. “I think once we get rolling into this, we’ll be fine. This time, it’s very cold—sometimes guys tick up and down with their heaters. But nothing I’m concerned about.”
Weather can be an excuse for a poor performance or two, but Bednar’s velocity-related struggles are becoming a trend rather than an outlier. That’s especially true when a closer look at the Yankees hurler’s numbers shows that his excuse rings noticeably hollow.
Bednar’s Temperature Excuse Doesn’t Add Up
The early part of the 2026 MLB season has seen Bednar pitch in three different cities so far. He opened the campaign with back-to-back appearances against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, took on the Seattle Mariners once at T-Mobile Park, and has since pitched his last three outings against the Miami Marlins and the Athletics at Yankee Stadium.
Having said that, Bednar’s average four-seam fastball velocity has been reduced, regardless of where he’s pitched, as shown by the chart below with information courtesy of Baseball Savant and MLB.com. Compare these marks to his averages of 97.1 MPH in 2025 and 97.2 MPH in 2024.
| Opponent | Date | Location | Gametime Temperature | Average Four-Seam Velocity | Hits Allowed | Runs Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | March 27 | Oracle Park | 64°F | 96.4 MPH | 0 | 0 |
| Giants | March 28 | Oracle Park | 61°F | 96.2 MPH | 1 | 0 |
| Mariners | April 1 | T-Mobile Park | 47°F | 95.4 MPH | 3 | 1 |
| Marlins | April 4 | Yankee Stadium | 52°F | 94.4 MPH | 3 | 1 |
| Athletics | April 7 | Yankee Stadium | 43°F | 95.5 MPH | 0 | 0 |
| Athletics | April 8 | Yankee Stadium | 44°F | 95.0 MPH | 2 | 1 |
Even though his velocity did take a hit since the Yankees left the Bay Area, it’s not as if it’s a major difference. Besides, he’s had decent showings in both the 60s and 40s. Bednar’s average velocity only wavers by about two miles per hour, depending on the location and temperature, showing that New York fans’ concerns are justified and it’s more than just temperature playing a role here.
Opposing batters are batting .375 with a .625 slugging percentage while whiffing on only 10.3% of Bednar’s fastballs this season. For comparison, he held the opposition to a .229 batting average, .413 SLG%, and 22.2% whiff rate with a 97.1 MPH fastball last season. That’s the Bednar whom the Yankees need, not the one who’s induced heart palpitations in such a small sample size.
FanGraphs also illustrates how Bednar’s average velocities in 2026 are they were begin his recent campaigns. In fact, his game log shows that he has only had five outings since 2022 where he’s pitched slower than he has this season.
Bednar’s Yankees Future Could Hinge on What’s Next
The Yankees’ latest loss wasn’t all on Bednar, as the offense deserves its fair share of the blame, too. However, Wednesday’s effort wasn’t close to being good enough to erase any doubts that fans might be feeling about the veteran arm, leaving it up to him to do whatever it takes to get back on their good side.
Of course, reversing course would also help Bednar secure a long-term future in the Big Apple.
After avoiding arbitration to play the 2026 season on a one-year, $9 million contract, Bednar is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in the winter. The two-time All-Star closer is 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA and an MLB-leading five saves through six appearances so far, and he’ll likely need to pitch more like he did with the Yankees last season (2-0, 2.19 ERA with 10 saves and 35 strikeouts) to extend his stay in New York.
The Yankees will look to win another series when they host the Athletics for their finale on Thursday afternoon. If given the chance to enter the game, Bednar must seize any opportunity he gets, as there won’t be any room for further excuses if his lackluster velocity plays a role in another potential loss.
