Yankees' top gun expected to begin rehab Saturday

Ian Hamilton Hamilton is expected to begin a rehab assignment Saturday, and the Yankees would get a huge boost with the right-hander in their bullpen. While his ERA and strikeout rate have both regressed from last season, his overall strikeout numbers looked excellent before he went on the injured list with a right lat strain that has sidelined him since June. With the Yankees struggling to get strikeouts in high-leverage situations, they could use all the help they can get, but Hamilton stands out as a potentially big-time addition if he’s able to pitch at his 2023 form.

Ian Hamilton, a player who proved to be a revelation in an otherwise disappointing season last year, might be exactly what the Yankees need in their bullpen right now.

Yankees could get huge boost in bullpen with Ian Hamilton

Ian Hamilton has struggled to find his feet this season, posting a 4.55 ERA in 27 appearances. His strikeout rate has dropped from 28.9% to 22.1%, but his overall swing-and-miss rate hasn't declined in the slightest. Some might point to his control as a point of regression, which is usually why great pitches don't get missed, and the drop in groundball rate could be an indication that he was leaving too many fastballs and sliders over the plate.

Despite those struggles, his 119 Stuff+ and 99th percentile chase rate are indicators of an absolutely awesome arsenal, and if he can pitch like he did in 2023, he could very well become this team's most important reliever. He posted a 2.64 ERA and struck out 69 batters in 39 appearances, demonstrating his ability to go multiple innings and miss bats at an extremely high rate.

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Some were concerned that his body wouldn't respond well to the workload of a two-inning reliever, as there was a void left by the departure of Michael King in the trade that netted the Yankees Juan Soto. With Luke Weaver serving as their multi-inning relief arm, Hamilton can get used to a role where he pitches as often as he did last season, and that could do wonders for him late in the season.

He'll head to Somerset with the Double-A Patriots to get back in shape, joining Lou Trivino and Cody Poteet who were assigned there for the exact same reason. We could see this bullpen get a massive facelift in the coming weeks, and given the state of the AL East battle, they'll need all hands on deck to win the division. They start this series at home with a three-game series against the first-place Cleveland Guardians, with Luis Gil facing Matt Boyd at 7:05 p.m. EST.