Yankees Midseason Report Card: Bullpen

The Rest…

Aside from the Big Three, the rest of the Yankees bullpen has been an absolute mess this season. No other reliever has made it through the 2016 season on the big league roster without a demotion to the minors.

Seven Yankees relief pitchers have an ERA over 5.00 this season, including Kirby Yates, Chasen Shreve, Johnny Barbato, Anthony Swarzak, Phil Coke, Tyler Olson, and Branden Pinder. In 2015, New York effectively used the last spot in their bullpen to rotate in fresh arms from Triple-A Scranton. This year, four of their seven bullpen spots have been in a constant state of flux.

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On the plus side, young arms Luis Cessa and Chad Green, both acquired from the Tigers for lefty reliever Justin Wilson this winter, have looked solid in limited time. However, Green may be needed in the rotation sooner than later, and Cessa is also a starter by trade.

Aside from the Chapman trade, the Yankees declined to add any veteran relievers to their pen this winter, instead opting to count on their collection of minor league arms. That has looked like a major blunder in the early going this year, with none of the Scranton Shuttle arms establishing themselves as a major league caliber reliever in the first half.

Next: Yankees Midseason Report Card: Starting Rotation

The good news is the Yankees have plenty of other interesting options with Triple-A Scranton they have yet to try out. Look for Giovanny Gallegos, Mark Montgomery, Tyler Webb, and Dietrich Enns to make their MLB debuts at some point in the second half.

Midseason Grade: D-