Maligned Yankees reliever justifies impressive Triple-A leap in return to NYY

TJ Rumfield was blocked in the Bronx. TJ Rumfield was never in a million years starting over newly minted All-Star Ben Rice this season. TJ Rumfield was not an adequate Giancarlo Stanton insurance policy. TJ Rumfield was passed over in the Rule 5 Draft process. Still ... watching TJ Rumfield hit .301 with 12 homers and a 128 OPS+ for the Rockies while the Yankees had to sit and wait for reliever Angel Chivilli to get healthy so he could take a crack at reducing his 6.00+ ERA at the MLB level? Not great. People are gonna have some questions about that.

Chivilli, a project reliever, was essentially the only arm added by Brian Cashman this offseason (sorry, Cade Winquest) to a bullpen that lacked heft and depth by the end of 2025, when both Luke Weaver and Devin Williams were escorted out. Even an immediate Chivilli splash wouldn't have been enough to quell the grand plan's doubters - and we certainly didn't get that, as Chivilli allowed a loud Mike Trout home run and three walks across 2 1/3 innings in two April games.

He then succumbed to a shoulder injury, and most thought we'd never hear from him again. But then the strangest thing began to happen when we all stopped paying attention: his Triple-A numbers trended toward magnificence. His slider began taking souls. His changeup became a workable plus pitch (as Matt Blake intended). He stopped walking guys almost altogether. And, with the Yankees in dire need of a transfusion of absolutely anything, he was summoned to the bigs in Brendan Beck's wake on Sunday.

In his second Yankees "debut," his improvements translated to the MLB level.

Yankees still need several bullpen arms to supplement Angel Chivilli

You're not going to believe this, but Chivilli's inning-and-a-third with a hit and a K in garbage time against the Minnesota Twins was not enough to convince fans that the Yankees bullpen is saved. Still, it was proof that, in desperate times, some people are lucky enough to get a second chance at a first impression.

Given the madcap state of the Yankees' relief corps, Chivilli deserves a longer runway to show his viability, especially after knifing through Triple-A. Now, it's incumbent upon the Yankees to make several more shuffles in his wake (not to mention acquire two high-leverage-esque relievers at the trade deadline). Camilo Doval has options. So does Jake Bird. It's time for the Yankees to elevate Kervin Castro from the high minors again, then go for the jugular; why is Ben Grable wasting reps at Double-A when he's clearly solved the level? The 24-year-old has 46 Ks in a clean 30 innings with an 0.80 WHIP and 2.70 ERA. Place someone on the 60-Day IL (Aaron Judge?) if you don't want to lop someone off the 40-man and give Grabel a chance. The clock is ticking, and even Chivilli's positive progress isn't nearly enough (though it's nice to see a baby step in the right direction).

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