Yankees make bullpen promotion fans called for but weird corresponding move follows

The New York Yankees are coming off their worst (and arguably the overall worst) loss of the season after Sunday's debacle against the Mets. Fans were getting loud about a bullpen solution, and rightfully so.

On Monday, they got one. The Yankees called up Yovanny Cruz, who was previously turning heads at Scranton. Great news, right? Well, sort of. With 10 games over the next 10 days, they questionably optioned Elmer Rodriguez, who was supposed to start on Friday. He can't be brought back up for 15 days unless there's an injury on the active roster.

Across 15 games with the RailRiders, Cruz owns a 3.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 23 strikeouts in his 18 innings of work. The only unfortunate note here is that the right-hander has allowed a run in his last five appearances after allowing just one from March 29 - May 2. He has a 6.64 ERA since May 1.

At the very least, Cruz will represent a fresh face and someone who could induce more swing and miss. We just have to hope his recent struggles with walks doesn't come with him to the big-league roster.

What's the Yankees' rotation plan after Yovanny Cruz promotion, Elmer Rodriguez demotion?

In regard to the Rodriguez demotion, we are sure we'll get an explanation from Aaron Boone relatively soon. On the surface, it appears as if they might roll with a bullpen game of sorts utilizing Ryan Yarbrough/Paul Blackburn before Gerrit Cole is recalled. It's been speculated the 2023 Cy Young winner might only need one more rehab start.

Whatever the case, if that's what the Yankees are banking on, it seems a bit precarious. What if they want to give their ace another week or two on his rehab assignment? That leaves the rotation extremely think amid their 2-7 stretch after Max Fried hit the injured list.

Rodriguez wasn't exactly revolutionary, but he was solid in his three outings and proved he can battle through laborious innings. In most fans' eyes, he's a more worthwhile option than Yarbrough/Blackburn.

The Yankees have strategically left space open on their 40-man roster for some eventual returns, so there won't be any lifting to do there. Right now, this Friday and next Wednesday are TBD starters, so it's possible Cole returns on May 27 or the week after. We're just not sure this is the best way to go about it.

We'll gladly welcome Cruz and his triple-digit fastball, though. This bullpen has been severely lacking velocity, and a little infusion of that (plus youth) could go a long way to repairing the currently broken unit.

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