Yankees: 3 NYY who need to step up without Zack Britton

The New York Yankees are in some trouble without Zack Britton, sure.

But don’t take the haters’ bait here. Don’t freak out. Don’t “Same Old Yankees” us.

Because you all know it could’ve been so much worse in so many ways.

Britton will be shut down for sometime between six weeks and two months — which is likely a bit longer than a typical bone spur patient, considering he’d already battled weakness and a bout of COVID this offseason. It may not be until midsummer when he returns, but the UCL is intact. The problem has been identified. If you’re still angry, we recommend a deep breath and a chopped cheese.

Even if Britton’s absence isn’t ticketed for 162 games, though, there are still additional bullpen roles to be sorted out internally.

Aren’t you glad Justin Wilson just happened to be available late in the winter?

That maneuver looms large now, and the Yankees’ quartet of established back-end arms still looms. A few other pieces will have to shift up one notch, though, and an extra participant in spring training will now get a roster spot (Lucas Luetge? Short bullpen and Jay Bruce?).

Britton himself, in an extremely composed press conference prior to going under the knife, happened to single out a few pitchers who he believes will help fill his void over the season’s first few months. With another name added — since we know how the Yankees operate and who they promote — these three pitchers seem most likely to benefit in the pecking order with Britton gone.

As long as they step up, that is.

These 3 Yankees need to step up without Zack Britton.

3. Nick Nelson

Every external scout’s favorite Yankees reliever, Nick Nelson, has a golden opportunity ahead of him to not only make the team but make a large-scale impact.

In fact, on Wednesday morning, Britton called Nelson someone who could ‘”really impact [the Yankees’] bullpen” — and he’d know.

The 25-year-old wasn’t a reliever at any point before arriving in the Bronx in 2020, a season in which his final numbers (4.79 ERA, 5.56 FIP) may have belied his flashier moments on the mound.

Those gutsy individual efforts, backed by upper echelon stuff, proved there was back-end talent there. Think specifically of…well, his debut, which featured three shutout middle innings in the second game of a series against the Boston Red Sox. Nelson was entrusted to hold a three-run lead and came away with the official win, striking out four (and walking a pair) in three hitless innings.

Will he be a starter at some point? He has the repertoire of one, but New York seems fairly enamored with trying him out in the ‘pen first. They’ve had no trepidation about reducing his innings in this manner, hoping his stuff continues to play up in shorter and shorter stints.

Though he’ll still enter 2021 behind the “big four” on the pecking order, many agree Nelson has the best chance of cracking the upper echelon, and at least grabbing the Jonathan Holder innings in instances of fatigue.

Based on his offhand comment, Britton himself seems to agree.

2. Michael King

Britton also mentioned Michael King by name specifically before he departed the podium.

However, his praise for the 25-year-old was a bit less effusive; instead of theorizing on his end-game capabilities, Britton merely called King “intriguing”. But a mention’s a mention!

Perhaps King can move from “intriguing” to “effective” based on the uptick in velocity we’ve seen this spring, as his typically boring sinker has leapt from around 92-93 to peaks of 96. One of these fastballs specifically made veteran catcher Wilson Ramos look like an elementary school student.

Of course, Yankees fans haven’t been anywhere near satisfied with the output of their 2018 Minor-League Pitcher of the Year, who suffered a setback in spring training of 2019, holds a 7.22 career ERA in the bigs, and has been much more of a two-pitch pitcher than advertised.

King may not be Greg Maddux, but if he can command the sinker at the corners and ride that velocity increase, there’s a chance he’ll find himself in that second echelon of relievers while Britton is working his way back.

There are many middle innings to be filled, and no Yankee fan will be satisfied if Luis Cessa simply gets promoted into late-and-close situations. Instead, young tweener relievers like King will need to step up and make themselves essential.

And speaking of tweeners…