3 reasons Yankees’ bullpen might doom them in postseason

2. Potentially Relying on Production From Guys Who Haven’t Pitched

This is solely an “issue” because there’s no clarity. Are the Yankees seriously going to count on contributions from guys like Zack Britton, Miguel Castro and Stephen Ridings? Britton and Ridings haven’t pitched since last year, and Castro, after seeing the wheels come off before he hit the IL, hasn’t pitched since July 10.

All three are on the mend, however, most recently appearing at Triple-A (Britton and Castro) and Double-A (Ridings). If this is the plan, then the Yankees have approached the deep end, and will soon fall in if they attempt to watch it come to fruition.

Time and time again, it’s hard for this team to even rely on key bullpen contributors to perform in the playoffs (Aroldis Chapman, Adam Ottavino, Jonathan Loaisiga, Zack Britton, and probably more!) when the time comes. And that’s with ample time under their belts as they get ready for the elevated action.

Now there’s the possibility of doing a 180 and having three guys who have combined for a TOTAL of 27 innings this year while coming off major injuries toss meaningful, high-leverage innings?

Again, we don’t know if this is actually the plan, but the fact that it’s even on the table is horrifying.