Brett Headrick has a secret superpower that has saved Yankees' bullpen

A dirty little secret that some won't like to admit is that the New York Yankees bullpen hasn't actually been all that bad so far this season. In fact, we might dare say that the unit has been, gasp, good. Sure, Camilo Doval has been a disaster, and we still don't trust Jake Bird as far as we can throw him, but New York has something of a secret weapon out there, and his name is Brent Headrick.

We pegged Headrick as a potential pleasant surprise as the season kicked off, and by now, most fans know that he's been very good. Headrick has pitched to a 1.47 ERA over 181/3 innings with a 26% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate.

But what's really made Headrick stand out is his ability to come into jams and quickly put out the fire. After a gassed Elmer Rodriguez walked Jake Burger to load the bases in the fifth inning of the May 5 matchup with the Texas Rangers, with the score tied 3-3, Aaron Boone turned to Headrick, who quickly struck out pinch hitter Sam Haggerty.

With that, Headrick moved into the league lead in taking on the most inherited runners without allowing a run, with 13 - and yes, he stranded another one in the top of the sixth on Thursday vs. the Rangers, immediately before the Yankees' rally. After coming to the Yankees as a waiver claim from the Minnesota Twins in February of 2025, it might be surprising to see that Headrick has become a high-leverage weapon.

However, through 5 2/3 high-leverage innings, Headrick has limited hitters to a .111/.158/.111 line. He's been lights out, and it's helped save the bullpen.

Brent Headrick has been an unexpected weapon, but the Yankees' bullpen will still need more

New York's pen ranks fifth in ERA in the majors with a 3.36 mark, and Headrick has been a very big reason why. The lefty has also become a weapon against right-handed hitters, allowing just a .167 batting average against when faced with the supposed platoon disadvantage.

He's clearly earned Boone's trust, and the skipper has spoken highly of the former starter all throughout spring training. There is a potential roadblock coming, though. The Yankees have turned to Headrick a lot. A whole lot. He's tied for the MLB lead in appearances with 20. Eventually, that workload will catch up with him.

The 28-year-old's ability to come into jams and clean up messes unscathed is extremely valuable, but that also means he's not always available for traditional high-leverage situations in the late innings. That's where the Yankees could still use some help.

By finding a true, lockdown setup man for David Bednar, the Yankees can continue to use Headrick as their Houdini and pump the brakes a bit on his workload so his arm doesn't fall off.

The problem is, unless that arm comes from within the organization, they'll likely have to wait until the end of July to truly address the issue. Given the Yankees' recent track record of trading for relievers, there's a question as to whether or not they'd actually get an upgrade, too.

Headrick is making a name for himself for his ability to clean up others' messes, but the Yankees' pen still feels like it's an arm short. Without getting him some help, they'll burn him out and find themselves with some real problems during the season's dog days.

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