Yankees' Triple-A call-up option has most ridiculous ERA you've ever seen

Of all the poorly-aged articles I've put together this year, begging and pleading with the Yankees to find an alternative to Allan Winans midway through spring training might've been the biggest overreaction. Of course, without demoting Allan Winans, we never would've learned quite how ridiculous he could be, so really ... I was right? By accident?

Through the weekend's action, it's actually impossible for Winans to be more dominant in the minors this year. Asking the Yankees to improve upon Winans would be like asking a steel beam to get 40% tougher to bend.

His wild strikeout streak in April put him on the radar as a wily veteran who could be a Cody Poteet-type fill-in in the Yankees' ailing rotation, if nothing else. And, while the world was paying attention to Ryan Yarbrough and the Yankees' surprising surge, Winans legitimately began to pile up historic numbers in Scranton.

In just under 40 innings to start the season (39, to be exact), Winans now has an 0.23 ERA in nine games (seven starts). This here's real. That's a real thing that's happening. He's also missing bats, striking out 45 opponents with a WHIP of an even 1.00.

Yankees' Allan Winans is putting up a season for the ages at Triple-A

The rub with Winans, of course, is that his work as a spot starter in his two previous call-ups from Triple-A doesn't exactly justify a third chance. In six starts with the 2023 Braves, he posted a 5.29 ERA, though he still struck out over a batter per inning (34 in 32 1/3). Last season, when Atlanta gave him another shot, he rewarded them with a remarkable 15.26 ERA in two outings, the kind of numbers that will make a team go, "We like you, and we're actually so ashamed of that feeling that we have to take action so we can stop thinking about you."

What's changed year-over-year? Something tangible from the Yankees' pitching lab? A hefty dose of confidence? Nothing in particular? It's incumbent upon the Yankees to figure out whether any element of this eye-popping Triple-A ERA is for real, and whether Winans can be used in short relief or merely as an innings-eater. Ian Hamilton has a minor-league option remaining, and the Yankees should probably use it as a corresponding move.