Yankees reliever Luke Weaver open to a return to starting pitching

Yankees reliever Luke Weaver open to a return to starting pitching originally appeared on The Sporting News

Luke Weaver has re-invented his career as a relief option for the New York Yankees during the last couple of seasons. A free agent after this season, Weaver has recently spoken about his openness to returning to starting pitching.

After mostly struggling as a starting pitcher for the majority of his career, Weaver landed with the Yankees at the end of the 2023 season, and was brought back for the 2024 season as a reliever. Weaver pitched to a 2.89 ERA in 62 appearances, and notched four saves. He hasn’t been as dominant in 2025, posting a 3.82 ERA in 61 appearances, and struggling with giving up home runs, but Weaver should still earn a decent penny in free agency given his career turnaround.

Weaver recently told the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, and Jon Heyman about the possibility of returning to starting pitching in the future, referencing former Yankees teammate Clay Holmes who is now a starter for the New York Mets.

“For so long, being a starting pitcher — you don’t expect to be a reliever,” Weaver said. “Being a starting pitcher, honestly, has got to be the best job in the big leagues — especially when it’s going well. But, I just found this niche. I just found this ability to do something a little bit different and use my background of starting to channel it into how I pitch now.”

“When the time comes, let’s talk about it,” he added. “Clay has done a great job this year in that transition. I don’t know what people are saying, but I’ve watched from afar, and I’m proud of him.”

For now, Weaver will continue to help the Yankees towards their quest for a 28th World Series title this season. The Yankees’ bullpen has been rocky of late, so Weaver and the rest of the high-leverage arms in the bullpen will look to right the ship in time for the playoffs.