Coming into the 2026 season, the Yankees bullpen was their biggest concern. The team did not make notable additions to what was the weakest part of their 2025 roster, and lost the likes of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in free agency to the Mets. Little did we know how high the organization truly was on a late-spring waiver claim from the Twins last season.
High Leverage Headrick
Lefty Brent Headrick has been one of the Yankees most trusted relievers to start the young season. Through the team’s first 24 games in 2026, Headrick has appeared in 14 games, giving up just two runs. The 14 appearances leads MLB so far. Headrick has been a go-to option for Boone so far, but the success did not start now. Last season, he appeared in 17 games, pitching to a 3.13 ERA in 23 innings. He was on the shuttle to Scranton often last season. He now looks to be a mainstay.
“I think he’s legit,” Aaron Boone told New York Daily News prior to opening day. “I really do. He was good for us last year in small bursts. I feel like he’s throwing the ball really well. I’m excited about him.”
Boone has mentioned that his bullpen is open for players to take roles within, and Headrick has worked himself into the circle of trust. Multiple times in the early goings this season Headrick has come into the highest leverage of situations and has thrived in that setting. Just Tuesday he came into a first and second, one out jam inherited by starter Luis Gil in the seventh inning with Boston threatening to get back into the game. No sweat for Headrick, who retired the two batters he needed, in order, to work out of trouble.
The Yankees went onto win 4-0. It can be argued that the two outs that Headrick got were the highest-leverage outs in the game.
Under Headrick’s Hood
The biggest reason Headrick is coveted by the Yankees thus far is his abilites to get both left-handers and right-handers out, but his numbers are eleite against righties. So far in 2026, righties are slashing .143/.226/.179 with a .404 OPS against. With Headrick being a reverse-splits guy, teams often pinch-hit for their lefties, as we saw Tuesday with Alex Cora pinch hitting Andruw Monasterio for Marcelo Mayer, and it played right into Headrick’s platoon splits. His numbers against lefties don’t jump off the page, but he has faced them at a lot less of a sample size and as the season goes on, his numbers should improve.
“You’re not gonna be 100 percent every night, but just being the best version of yourself each night that you can,” Headrick told The New York Post last week. “We prepared for this. We prepared to pitch one inning, like I said, multiple days a week and things like that — and one-plus even if I need to. So I think we’re ready for it.”
Having Headrick in the Yankees bullpen is an asset. It’s only a matter of time before we see him taking on the eighth inning and possibly the ninth if closer David Bednar is down.
(Top Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
