![\"Yankees'](\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1220,height=813,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MLB-Pittsburgh-Pirates-at-San-Diego-Padres-j.t.-brubaker-18382899.jpg\")
Why the Yankees can\u2019t relax\u2014even when everything is working<\/h2>\n
Luis Gil is still weeks from returning. Allan Winans, while promising, hasn\u2019t yet earned a long leash in the majors.<\/p>\n
Depth isn\u2019t a luxury\u2014it\u2019s a necessity. And in the Yankees\u2019 war room, contingency planning is as routine as bullpen sessions.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where J.T. Brubaker enters the frame, a name you might\u2019ve forgotten but the Yankees certainly haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Once a workhorse for the Pirates, Brubaker hasn\u2019t thrown in the big leagues since 2022. His body has paid the price\u2014most recently, with three broken ribs in spring training.<\/p>\n
But something has changed. The long rehab road is starting to slope upward.<\/p>\n
Brubaker\u2019s return could be the insurance policy the Yankees need<\/h2>\n
This past weekend, wearing the colors of the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades, Brubaker took the mound again\u2014and quietly impressed.<\/p>\n
Three innings. Three strikeouts. No walks. No earned runs. Not bad for a man who hadn\u2019t thrown a minor league pitch in months.<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s leveling up. The Yankees announced his rehab assignment is shifting to Double-A Somerset\u2014a clear sign of progress.<\/p>\n Today, the Yankees transferred the rehab assignment of RHP JT Brubaker from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset.<\/p>\n \u2014 Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) May 23, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Think of Brubaker as a parachute. You don\u2019t need him when you\u2019re cruising at 30,000 feet, but if things start falling fast, he could be what slows the descent.<\/p>\n His 4.99 career ERA across 315.2 innings won\u2019t steal headlines, but context matters. He pitched through some lean years in Pittsburgh, where run prevention was often more myth than reality.<\/p>\n Tonight, Brubaker\u2019s next challenge awaits: a start in New Hampshire at 6:35 p.m., facing stiffer competition and sharper bats.<\/p>\n The @Yankees have announced that RHP JT Brubaker’s MLB rehab has been transferred to Double-A Somerset. Brubaker is scheduled to start tonight’s 6:35 p.m. game in New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com\/ddZUHTCRRX<\/p>\n \u2014 Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 23, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n It\u2019s more than just another rehab outing. It\u2019s an audition\u2014proof to the Yankees that his command, his velocity, his mindset are all where they need to be.<\/p>\n Because while the Yankees\u2019 rotation is humming now, history has a way of rewriting baseball storylines with a cruel twist.<\/p>\n Brubaker knows he won\u2019t be the headline. But he could be the plot twist.<\/p>\n The Yankees don\u2019t need J.T. Brubaker yet\u2014but if they do, he\u2019s fighting to be ready when the call comes.<\/p>\n Yankees eyeing another shake up at third base \u2014 here\u2019s what could happen next<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Yankees’ rotation is thriving, but J.T. Brubaker\u2019s rehab comeback could be the secret ingredient for long-term depth and success<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":57121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Every pitch is a test as Brubaker climbs the ladder<\/h2>\n
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Popular reading<\/h2>\n