Yankees revamp bullpen after two straight losses – Trentonian

NEW YORK – The Yankees have restructured their bullpen after consecutive losses to their AL East rivals Boston and Baltimore: They brought in right-handers Phil Bickford and Yoendrys Gómez, kicked out left-hander Victor González and demoted right-hander Ron Marinaccio.

New York used its bullpen for 7 2/3 innings in Thursday’s 17-5 loss to the Orioles and six innings in Wednesday’s 7-6 loss. The Yankees’ pitching staff entered Friday’s first game of the series against Atlanta with a 4.59 ERA in June, an improvement over the major league best of 2.37 in May.

“The numbers game was a big deal. We’ve obviously relied heavily on the bullpen the last two days, so we needed some coverage down there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “And we need to talk about certain things to shake things up and pay attention.”

Second baseman Gleyber Torres was not in the starting lineup after leaving Thursday’s game with a right groin injury. Boone said an MRI came back negative and Torres will likely be available this weekend.

New York acquired González from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December along with second baseman prospect Jorbit Vivas for shortstop Trey Sweeney, the 20th pick in the 2021 amateur draft. González, 28, had a 3.68 ERA in 27 relief appearances, allowing 13 hits, 13 walks and 11 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

He was designated for assignment by the Yankees after allowing five runs, four earned, three hits and two walks in his last three games.

“That was tough because I really enjoyed Vic. I respect him. He’s been successful in the league,” Boone said. “It’s been tough to get him into a good role here, but he’s definitely struggled with throwing strikes and not luring guys away a little bit, and I just felt like that’s something we’re probably going to have to deal with in the long run.”

Marinaccio, 28, was promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 13, demoted on May 10 and brought back on June 9. In his last major league appearance, he allowed five runs – four earned – seven hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings in four games.

Boone said Marinaccio took the demotion “like a professional, but he’s obviously not happy about it.”

Bickford, 28, was released by the New York Mets during the final week of spring training and received a $217,742 severance package instead of the $900,000 salary he won in salary arbitration as part of a non-guaranteed contract. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and posted a 2-2 record with a 2.94 ERA in 22 relief appearances for Scranton. He had 35 strikeouts and 12 walks in 27 2/3 innings.

His contract with the Yankees calls for a salary of $1.1 million in the major leagues and $180,000 in the minor leagues.

“A tough guy that fits just right,” Boone said. “He’ll give you some length.”

Gómez, 24, went 2-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 12 starts for the RailRiders, allowing 54 strikeouts and 26 walks in 46 innings. He made his major league debut last September and appeared in one major league game this season, recording a strikeout for the team in the ninth inning of an 8-0 win at San Diego on May 24.

“He’s done well in the few opportunities he’s had here,” Boone said. “He’s got a lot of talent. He’s still very inexperienced and has had some injuries in his young career.”