CHICAGO — On Wednesday, the New York Yankees designated relief pitcher Enyel De Los Santos for assignment, two weeks after trading for him. De Los Santos gave up seven runs in 1 2/3 innings on Monday, and he needed 48 pitches to get five outs. In his brief tenure with the Yankees, De Los Santos allowed 10 runs and 19 baserunners in 6 1/3 innings. He was one of three players the Yankees acquired at the trade deadline to bolster their roster.
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The Yankees traded outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who’s Rule 5 draft-eligible this offseason, to the San Diego Padres for De Los Santos. Lockridge would not have made the Yankees’ 40-man roster this offseason, so he wasn’t a hefty price to pay and the move won’t affect their long-term future. But it’s undoubtedly a bad look for a team that needed bullpen help desperately. The Yankees needed at least two relievers at the deadline to improve their bullpen, and they’ve now whiffed in that aspect with De Los Santos quickly flaming out of the organization.
The Yankees had two major areas they needed to address by the deadline: third base and the bullpen. Before adding Jazz Chisholm Jr., the Yankees ranked 27th in wRC+ at third base. It looked like Chisholm solved their issues, but he’s now injured. De Los Santos was added mainly for his strikeout ability, and he’s now gone. Mark Leiter Jr. has a 6.14 ERA as a Yankee. It feels as though the Yankees have returned to square one and are in the same spot they were before July 30.
De Los Santos became a roster casualty because of the doubleheaders the Yankees have played in the past few days. The Yankees needed either another starting pitcher or a long-man reliever who could provide some bulk out of the bullpen. They opted to call up Will Warren, who is starting Wednesday’s game. Adding Warren to the roster required a corresponding pitching move, and the choices were limited. Jake Cousins is the only reliever with a remaining minor-league option but he has become one of their best relievers. Luis Gil also has a minor-league option, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the club thought sending him down wasn’t the right move. That left De Los Santos, who might have been designated for assignment at some point in the future with a few pitchers possibly coming back soon, as the only available roster move for the Yankees.
“Tough call,” Boone said, “I feel like he’s better than the last couple of results he’s had.”
BROOKS BALDWIN 💥💥💥 pic.twitter.com/hj1o19qeU7
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 13, 2024
The Yankees may be able to keep De Los Santos if he clears waivers and accepts being outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Since he has two more years of team control, another organization might take a chance on him.
Chisholm was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left elbow strain. Before Wednesday’s game, Boone did not provide an update on a potential timeline for Chisholm’s return. The only new information he shared was that the team had shut him down from baseball activities. Boone mentioned that Chisholm is encouraged by how he’s feeling, but it’s worth noting that he wasn’t “super” concerned about his elbow immediately after injuring it while sliding into home plate on Monday.
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“He’s been dynamic for us,” Boone said of Chisholm. “He’s provided power, speed and done a great job on defense. He’s been great in the room. Hopefully, it’s something that doesn’t turn out to be too long and we can get him back.”
With Chisholm out, the Yankees recalled infielder Oswald Peraza from Triple-A. Boone said Peraza could factor in at third base, especially against left-handed pitching. Peraza has a 1.065 OPS and seven home runs since the All-Star break. The biggest adjustment Peraza has made at the plate is switching from a leg kick to a toe tap.
Peraza struggled at the start of this year and realized he needed to make an adjustment to get another opportunity in the big leagues. He believes that the toe tap will help him achieve more consistent results, and his performance over the past month has the organization encouraged that the former top prospect could reach his full potential.
“That adjustment has allowed him to stay consistent and under control with his swing,” Yankees minor-league hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio said. “We’ve seen better posture behind the baseball — he’s elevating the ball properly now — and he’s rotating more efficiently with increased barrel accuracy and timing when he makes contact. It’s been very exciting to see.”
Perfectly placed by Peraza 👌
A three-run blast gives SWB the lead! pic.twitter.com/GfMUkajhXs
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 10, 2024
The Yankees are hoping Leiter, their top bullpen addition before the deadline, develops better consistency too. He’s been a mixed bag since the team acquired him from the Chicago Cubs. In 7 1/3 innings, Leiter has allowed five runs on 13 hits, four walks and two hit batsmen. Opposing hitters have a 1.036 OPS against Leiter in pinstripes, but Boone thinks those numbers will turn in his favor before the season is over.
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“He’s had a couple of really good ones and had a couple where he’s really struggled,” Boone said. “Nothing I’m too concerned about. I still view him as playing a real significant role for us.”
Lou Trivino, rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, began a rehab assignment Wednesday with Double-A Somerset. Boone said depending on how he pitches, he could be an option for the bullpen this season. Ian Hamilton is still recovering from a lat injury and hasn’t been cleared for a rehab assignment yet. Scott Effross and Nick Burdi are with Triple A but neither has looked good enough to rejoin the Yankees bullpen just yet.
The hope is at least one of those names could join the Yankees before the season ends. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Yankees’ 4.49 bullpen ERA ranked 26th in MLB since June 1. That’s why nailing the trades at the deadline for better relievers was so important. Now, the Yankees have to hope someone from the batch of arms with health risks can emerge.
(Photo of Enyel De Los Santos: Matt Dirksen / Getty Images)
Chris Kirschner is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees. He previously covered the Atlanta Hawks from 2018-2022 for The Athletic. Chris was named Georgia's Sportswriter of the Year in 2021 for his work covering the Hawks. Chris is a native of Bronx, NY. Follow Chris on Twitter @chriskirschner
