Ian Hamilton may be losing a grip on his spot in the New York Yankees’ bullpen, at least according to Advance Media's beat writer Max Goodman.
After giving up another home run Wednesday night, Hamilton’s ERA has ballooned to 6.28 in 14 appearances. Once viewed as a trusted arm in high-leverage situations, the right-hander has now allowed runs in five of his last eight outings.
His season has unraveled quickly, and with key arms returning from the injured list, time may be running out.
The underlying metrics don’t offer much optimism. According to Baseball Savant, Hamilton is allowing an average exit velocity of 88.7 mph, with a 32.1% hard-hit rate and a 7.1% barrel rate. That means opposing hitters are squaring him up more often, and the results are showing in the box score.
The Yankees have options, literally.
Hamilton has one minor league option, meaning the team can send him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre without exposing him to waivers. With the bullpen getting healthier, that decision may come sooner rather than later.
Jonathan Loaisiga is already back. Clayton Beeter is getting closer to a return from the injured list, and Scott Effross is back from the IL and fighting his way back to the big leagues.
Hamilton was a breakout story in 2023 and he was solid last season, but this season has been a different story. If the Yankees want to maintain their bullpen’s momentum into the summer, a change may be necessary, and Hamilton could find himself headed to Scranton to reset.
