Just when Yankees fans thought Tim Hill was back, the concerns returned immediately

Entering Tuesday, New York Yankees reliever Tim Hill had been pitching well recently. Dating back to Aug. 16, Hill had logged six straight appearances (seven innings) without an earned run. Yankees fans began optimistically imagining Hill as an integral part of the club's postseason bullpen.

Another clean performance from Hill on Tuesday against the visiting Colorado Rockies would've solidified that optimism. Instead, Hill reminded everyone that 2026 has been such an up-and-down season for the veteran left-hander.

Tim Hill's bad outing against the Rockies has Yankees fans concerned about him all over again

With the Yankees leading the Rockies 5-1 in the ninth after seven brilliant innings from Cam Schlittler and a scoreless inning from Brent Headrick, Hill entered to close the door. He retired two Rockies on groundouts but then ran into trouble. The southpaw walked former Yankee TJ Rumfield and then allowed a two-run homer to Hunter Goodman, trimming the lead to 5-3.

Aaron Boone wasn't going to take any chances after Hill allowed the dinger to Goodman. The Yankees brought in David Bednar, who struck out Mickey Moniak for save No. 32 of the season. Still, plenty of fans were sour over the fact that Bednar had to be used at all (an indictment of Hill, who was asked to get three outs against one of the league's worst lineups).

Tim Hill hasn't been himself in 2026 for the Yankees

Hill used to be a guy you could rely on to come in, throw strikes, and take care of business in high-leverage situations. Sure, he's never been a superstar reliever, but he was dependable in 2024 and 2025. In '24, Hill posted a 2.05 ERA for the Yankees in 35 games after joining mid-season. Last year, he posted a 3.09 ERA across 70 appearances.

But 2026 has been a different story. Hill's ERA sits at 4.31 and he's allowed 10 home runs — a career high. Right-handed batters are hitting .293 against him. At the very least, Hill hasn't allowed much pull contact in the air this year. But overall, thinks have been bleak.

May was horrid for Hill. In 14 appearances, he accrued a 7.45 ERA and a .341 opponent's batting average. Since then, he's been both good and bad, but fans were beginning to see signs of life and consistency again at the end of August and the start of September. He pitched well against the Boston Red Sox and more recently against the San Diego Padres. But Tuesday's performance undid much of fans' growing confidence in Hill.

What's most painful about Hill's wobbly form is that the Yankees have real bullpen depth concerns heading into the playoffs. In fact, the 'pen is the most glaring issue for a team with a more than competent rotation and an offense comprised of enough talent to generate offense in October.

Hill declining in real time might seem like a small deal, but it could become pivotal in the postseason. The Yankees' margin for error in the bullpen couldn't be thinner. If performances like Tuesday's repeat themselves, Boone will have to overuse Headrick and Bednar in a playoff series, leading to fatigue. That would set up a ton of problems for late-inning situations toward the end of a seven-game series.

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