It seems there’s no end to the Yankees’ injury list this year! While the team was already gasping from a long list of injuries, pitcher Scott Effross is the latest addition. He reportedly incurred a hamstring injury after throwing just one pitch during Tuesday’s spring training game against the Minnesota Twins. For reference, the Yankees are not in the same league as the Dodgers this year in terms of rotation depth, and the repeated injuries are further affecting the wound.
While Effross was not a major contributor last year, he is effective enough to enhance the Yankees’ bullpen this season. But now, this planning is gone for a toss; Scott Effross is not new to injuries. Since the Yankees took him in the 2022 MLB trade, Effross missed the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery in his right elbow at the end of the 2022 campaign. This made him only appear in three games in 2024 and post a 5.40 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 3.1 innings pitched. Now that Effross is about to start his stint, the new injury bug comes back to haunt him again.
Brutal for Scott Effross: He threw one pitch and appeared to injure his leg, grabbing near his hamstring. He’s walking off the mound with a trainer.
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) February 25, 2025
So, how serious is the injury for Effross this time? According to MLB insider Greg Joyce, “He threw one pitch and appeared to injure his leg, grabbing near his hamstring. He’s walking off the mound with a trainer.” Effross will likely undergo testing and will be in a concussion protocol till his final update. Well, a major hamstring injury can make Effross stay away from the action for a minimum of 2 months. However, are the Yankees equipped enough to deal with Scott Effross’ injury? It’s all about their rotation depth.
What does it mean for the Yankees?
The long list of injuries for the Yankees includes their veteran DJ LeMahieu, who has been diagnosed with a right hip impingement. Additionally, Jonathan Loáisiga is injured with a right flexor strain, and JT Brubaker was acquired while on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery in 2023 and an oblique strain. Now Scott Effross has been added; nonetheless, the Yankees have a sound bullpen to replace him. Their bullpen includes Fernando Cruz, Timothy Hill, Jake Cousins, Ian Hamilton, and Mark Leiter, to name a few.
Veteran Timothy Hill is the most eligible replacement from the Yankees’ stable. His last year was low-key, considering he had a career-low 2.05 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 44 innings pitched. However, he is coming with a 4-0 record from 2024, which can come in handy for the Yankees in place of Effross. Still, the Yankees are behind the Dodgers, who can field someone like Roki Sasaki in place of Blake Snell. Additionally, Scott Effross’ speed variations and keeping opposing hitters off balance are something unique among the Yankees’ bullpen, full of high velocity and devastating offspeed.
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