Early returns on Camilo Doval could change entire complexion of Yankees bullpen

A questionable bullpen was by far the greatest source of anxiety for New York Yankees fans heading into 2026, but the first three games of the season have assuaged this anxiety as much as three games can.

In a sense, right-hander Camilo Doval symbolizes the pendulous — and thus nerve-wracking — nature of New York's 'pen. When Doval's command swings out of control, things get ugly, and it feels like six or seven sparkling innings of work from any of New York's gifted starters could be wasted on any given night.

On the other hand, when Doval harnesses his electric stuff, he looks unhittable. Such was the case on Friday in San Francisco, as Doval struck out the side in the eighth against his former club.

Doval also shut the door of the Yankees' 7-0 victory on Opening Night, in what was some nice Aaron Boone strategy to get the right-hander to feel comfortable at the onset of the season against his former team.

This version of Camilo Doval makes the Yankees' bullpen concerns disappear

Doval's sinker was particularly disgusting on Friday. There's not much hitters can do when he's able to command the pitch so that it starts in the strike zone, at 97 or 98 miles per hour no less. Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt found this out the hard way. Moreover, Doval's fanning of Patrick Bailey represented the counter to the nasty sinker. When you're looking for it, Doval can crush you with high cheese in the form of his four-seamer or cutter.

If Doval's 12 pitches (10 strikes) on Friday were all you've ever seen from him, you might think he's one of the best relievers in the sport. And in 2023, just his second full MLB season, Doval was precisely that as the Giants' closer. That year, he led the National League in saves and was rightfully selected to the All-Star team.

However, in the second half of the 2024 season, Doval's major weakness began to rear its head in heinous fashion — he lost command of his stuff. He began walking people at astronomical rates and blowing saves (five of them in 27 opportunities that year), and San Francisco optioned him to Triple-A in August. When he did return to the majors a few weeks later, it was as a setup man for the Giants.

The roller coaster that was Doval's Giants career saw him begin 2025 in that setup role before being thrust back into the closer spot in late May due to a struggling Ryan Walker. Doval performed decently (4-2, 3.09 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 15 saves) before getting traded to the Yankees at the 2025 deadline.

Is Camilo Doval starting to get comfortable in a Yankees uniform?

Doval and his command weren't great once he arrived in the Bronx. The 28-year-old flamethrower tallied a 4.82 ERA last season for the Yanks in 22 appearances, never quite establishing himself as a dependable option in the manner of David Bednar.

Will 2026 provide the good version of Doval, the version that commands his scintillating stuff and begins to feel automatic? The first two games are a tremendously small sample size, but they've provided nothing but optimistic returns on Doval.

Ultimately, an under-control Doval — as a setup guy for Bednar — would make Yankees fans very quickly forget about the departure of Luke Weaver. Doval's ceiling is much higher than Weaver's and if he can consistently touch it, the Yankees might begin to look like the most complete team in the American League now that their weakness (the bullpen) has turned into a strength.