CLEVELAND — The New York Yankees officially ruled out reliever Ian Hamilton for the rest of the postseason.
Hamilton injured his left calf while covering first base in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. The Yankees replaced Hamilton with Mark Leiter Jr. on the ALCS roster. Because Hamilton was removed from the roster due to injury, he won’t be eligible for the World Series roster if the Yankees were to advance.
Hamilton wasn’t one of manager Aaron Boone’s top choices out of the bullpen, but losing quality depth always stings in the postseason. Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill were all higher on the leverage index than Hamilton, but he was still viewed as a dependable option out of the bullpen.
Ian Hamilton is now coming out of the game with an injury https://t.co/FzZrSTFGpf pic.twitter.com/l2v5MPOhaS
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 17, 2024
There’s also a significant drop-off for the Yankees going from Hamilton to Leiter, who has struggled mightily since being acquired at the deadline from the Chicago Cubs. In 21 outings for the Yankees, Leiter had a 4.98 ERA and an opponents’ OPS of .956. It’s likely the Yankees will stay away from using Leiter unless they run out of other options.
The Yankees’ bullpen could be thin for Game 4 Friday night. Weaver and Kahnle each threw at least 20 pitches Thursday night, and both relievers have been used extensively throughout the postseason. Luis Gil will start for the Yankees Friday night, and he has shown himself to be volatile with his command at times. That could mean a long night for the Yankees’ bullpen.
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
