Yankees' Luke Weaver: Tagged with loss, blown save Monday
Rotowire
Weaver (0-1) took the loss and blew a save opportunity against San Diego on Monday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over one-third of an inning.
New York led 4-0 heading into the eighth inning, and manager Aaron Boone called upon demoted former closer Devin Williams to maintain the lead. Williams struggled, getting two strikeouts but allowing the Padres to load the bases. Weaver was then summoned to try to escape the jam but couldn't do so -- the first two batters he faced each got a hit, pushing four runs across the plate, though three of those were charged to Williams. Weaver then walked a batter before finally getting the out he needed to end the frame, but his poor outing allowed San Diego to take the lead and resulted in his first blown save of the campaign. The run charged to Weaver was also the first he has allowed this season, and given his overall excellence and Williams' continued struggles, it's likely Weaver will continue to work as the Yankees' closer, at least in the short term.
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Yankees' Luke Weaver: Breezes to third save
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Weaver earned the save against the Rays on Friday, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.
Weaver came in for the ninth inning to preserve a three-run lead, and he did so with ease. He needed only 11 pitches (nine strikes) to close things out and finished the frame with back-to-back punchouts. Weaver has yet to yield a run over his 13 outings this season and has a 16:5 K:BB across 15 innings. He's taken over as the Yankees' go-to closer due to Devin Williams' poor start the season.
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Yankees' Luke Weaver: Taking over closer role
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Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Weaver will "get a lot" of the Yankees' save chances moving forward due to Devin Williams being removed from the closer role, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
Williams' disastrous start to the campaign culminated in him allowing three runs Friday for his first blown save of the season, bringing his ERA to 11.25 and prompting the Yankees to make a change. Weaver was dominant in the closer role late last year and will now reclaim the job, at least until Williams is back on track. Weaver has carried that dominance into 2025 with a 0.62 ERA and 13:5 K:BB across 13 scoreless innings.
Weaver earned a save against Tampa Bay on Friday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.
It was a bit curious that manager Aaron Boone went to Weaver and not Devin Williams with the Yankees holding a one-run lead in the ninth inning, though Williams had worked the day before and on three of the previous four days. Weaver proved more than capable of nailing things down, as he threw 12 of 15 pitches for strikes en route to a clean frame and his second save of the year. After some struggles early this season, Williams has rebounded to toss four consecutive scoreless outings, so he remains the Yankees' clear top closer. However, Weaver has shined so far this season with 10 scoreless frames and an 11:5 K:BB over eight outings, and he's clearly the top option for ninth-inning opportunities when Williams is unavailable.
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Yankees' Luke Weaver: Locks down first save of 2025
Rotowire
Weaver picked up the save after not allowing a baserunner in 1.1 innings Thursday against Arizona. He struck out one.
The Yankees got out to a massive 9-3 lead Thursday, but the Diamondbacks made the game interesting with a four-run surge in the seventh inning. That prompted manager Aaron Boone to turn to one of his high-leverage arms, and Weaver locked down his first save of the campaign while pouring in 15 of his 19 pitches for strikes. Although the right-hander is not the team's first option in save situations due to the arrival of Devin Williams (personal), Weaver emerged as a major weapon out of New York's bullpen in the second half of last season and should still see some save chances in 2025.
The Yankees exercised Weaver's $2.5 million club option for 2025 on Friday.
In his first full season with the Yankees, Weaver turned in a 2.89 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across 84 innings -- a stark contrast from the 5.85 ERA and 1.51 WHIP he had accumulated over the previous four years. There's a chance he begins 2025 as New York's closer after moving into the role toward the end of the season.
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Yankees' Luke Weaver: Gets tough blown save
Rotowire
Weaver was saddled with a blown save Wednesday against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, letting two inherited runners score while permitting one hit and one walk over 1.1 frames.
He was put into an impossible situation, taking over for Tommy Kahnle in the top of the eighth inning after Kahnle had loaded the bases with no one out. Weaver didn't permit a hit or a walk in the frame, but a pair of sac flies turned a one-run Yankees lead to a one-run deficit. He returned for the ninth inning and was pulled with one out and two runners on before Mark Leiter came on to escape the jam. The Yankees have a $2.5 million club option on Weaver for 2025, which they will undoubtedly pick up. He could open next season as the club's closer after finishing this year in the role.
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