Yankees: 3 ways NYY can cope with Zack Britton's extended absence

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The New York Yankees bullpen will have to get by without arguably their best reliever for probably the first half of the season.

Zack Britton will have surgery on Wednesday to remove a bone chip from his pitching elbow. He’ll be shut down for 4-6 weeks and will then have to build himself back up to speed after coming along slowly this offseason thanks to a COVID-19 diagnosis in January.

But it could’ve been worse. It could always be worse. And the Yankees possess the offense and pitching depth to get by without the left-hander for the time being. When he comes back, life will just be that much better.

In the interim, how can the Yankees adjust in wake of the news? Should they bring someone else in? Give a spot to a non-roster invitee? Change up their plans for the pitching staff at the onset of the year?

What we do know is that the Yankees probably don’t have to make a significant move to address Britton’s absence. There’s no need to give up assets in a trade until you know you absolutely have to.

There’s a reason the Yankees swapped out Adam Ottavino and Jonathan Holder for Darren O’Day and Justin Wilson. Reliability and durability. They can make do at the moment.

But here are some pivots that can help them avoid taxing the bullpen while their best reliever is on the shelf.

Shane Greene #19 of the Atlanta Braves (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

3. Sign Shane Greene

Shane Greene, a former Yankees pitcher, is still a free agent.

We’re really not sure why, but no team given Shane Greene a contract. He was good in 2020, logging a 2.60 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 27.2 innings of work. He’s largely been good since 2017. What gives?

The former Yankee could help fill the bullpen void with ease. He’s used to pitching in high-leverage situations and has proven to be effective on a contender. What’s the worst that could happen? At this point, the Yankees will just need someone to help eat innings. For the time being, guys like Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, O’Day and Wilson can eat up innings 7-9.

Greene can do that, too. Or he can be utilized for the fifth and sixth. He can pretty much be another hybrid option for Aaron Boone, which would give the team even more depth. Isn’t that what we need? Think about what the Dodgers did last year. Just about everyone in the bullpen was called upon to get important outs. Nobody had a defined role.

That won’t exactly be the case in New York, but it’d be nice if there were an arsenal of arms to choose from for innings 5-7 once Britton comes back.

New York Yankees pitcher Lucas Luetge (63) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Give Lucas Luetge a Roster Spot

If the Yankees want another left in the ‘pen, they have their answer.

He may not be a flamethrower, but Lucas Luetge is a lefty and he looks like he’s ready to seize the moment.

He hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2015, but Bryce Harper was one of his eight punchouts across three innings this spring. He’s allowed just two hits and hasn’t issued a single walk. Regardless of the competition he’s facing, those numbers turn heads. Just ask Boone! He even said so!

This could be the easiest move for the Yankees to make. They’d merely swap Luetge for Britton, keep the left arm, and see how Luetge profiles in the bullpen. It wouldn’t require any sort of makeover or change in philosophy for the pitching staff. Maybe he can be a realistic option for the remainder of the season. Who knows?

There’s a reason the Yankees signed him so early in the offseason. They clearly saw something even though he’s missed two out of the last three seasons (2018 due to injury and 2020 because of the pandemic). If they were planning to stash him in Triple-A and use him when they needed an extra arm in the bullpen throughout the year, why not just use him in the early going if he’s looking this good?

Then he can either stay there when Britton comes back or hang out at Scranton. Seems easy.

Deivi García #83 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

1. Go With a Six-Man Rotation

The Yankees could keep Deivi Garcia on board and go with a six-man rotation.

We don’t know what the Yankees are doing with their starting rotation, but Boone didn’t rule out a six-man staff to begin the year. And to be honest, that could be the best move.

Why? Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon have hardly pitched since the start of 2019. There’s no way they will be enduring a full workload in 2021. Domingo German hasn’t pitched since Sept. of 2019, so he’s kind of in the same boat. Jordan Montgomery was supposed to make his comeback from Tommy John surgery in 2020 but didn’t get a proper full slate to do so. None of those guys are built (at the moment) to handle a full 162-game slate.

But Gerrit Cole is! Have him go every fifth day, give Deivi Garcia a roster spot, and deploy the other arms as needed. After all, we’re probably looking at 120-150 innings each for Kluber and Taillon, which would allow for 20-ish starts for Montgomery, German and Garcia. Why not?!

This would put a lot less pressure on the bullpen in the interim while properly giving all of those starters the action and rest they need. Then, in the event another injury occurs, the pitching staff will be able to better cope with it.

Garcia, after all, showed us he was pretty ready in 2020. German looked awesome in his spring debut. Let them do their thing. It helps them. It helps Kluber, Taillon and Montgomery. It helps the bullpen.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 19: Zack Britton #53 of the New York Yankees in action against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on August 19, 2020 in New York City. The Rays defeated the Yankees 4-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Yankees: Who will replace Zack Britton in wake of elbow surgery news?

The New York Yankees announced that Zack Britton will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow after his MRI results came back.

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Yankees: 3 ways NYY can cope with Zack Britton’s extended absence