Yankees Announce Roster Change for 6-Foot-6 Pitcher Before Key Series

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone could use another lefty to work with.

The New York Yankees are making some adjustments to their bullpen ahead of this weekend’s key rivalry series against the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees announced that they sent lefty Brent Headrick to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after a series-clinching win against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. The 6-foot-6 Headrick joined the team early in spring training and provided some important depth in the bullpen, but now leaves to make way for another recent addition.

Brent Headrick Going Back to the Minors

The Yankees claimed Headrick after he was waived by the Minnesota Twins before the MLB season started, calling on him to pitch on opening day before sending him back to Triple-A. Headrick pitched 9.2 innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, earning a 3.72 ERA and a call back to the Bronx.

Headrick joined the Yankees after Fernando Cruz was placed on the injured list, providing some solid relief out of the bullpen as he pitched 13.1 innings with a 4.73 ERA.

Scott Effross is replacing Brett Headrick on the roster, per @Joelsherman1

Welcome back Effross 🔥

The Yankees pulled a bit of a swap, calling up righty Scott Effross from Triple-A to fill Headrick’s spot on the roster.

Effross will now get another chance to prove himself with the Yankees after suffering through a string of injuries. As Greg Joyce of the New York Post noted, Effross has endured three years of ailments since joining the Yankees at the 2022 MLB trade deadline.

As Joyce noted, Effross showed some promise before succumbing to the first in a series of injuries.

“The side-arming Effross posted a 2.13 ERA in 13 games for the Yankees after arriving in the trade from the Cubs, but then underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2022,” Joyce wrote. “He then had back surgery — a microdiscectomy of the lumbar spine — in December of 2023, knocking him out until July of last year.”

His most recent injury came when he strained his hamstring on the first pitch of a start in the Grapefruit League. The injury led Effross to start the season in Triple-A, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the time was right for him to join the big club and provide some relief out of the bullpen.

“Just felt like we needed some coverage,” Boone said. “[Effross] has been a little mixed so far.”

The Yankees are close to another big return, with reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil nearing the end of his rehab for a back injury suffered during spring training. Boone announced in May that Gil was on track with his throwing program and set to return close to the end of his 60-day injured list stint.

Gil is expected to return to the roster sometime in late June or early July, helping the Yankees make up for the loss of Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole after he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Despite the shakeup to the pitching staff, the Yankees have still managed to jump out to a lead in the AL East and have the chance to build on it with this weekend’s three-game set against the Red Sox.

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty