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Yankees' 4.70 ERA reliever gets subpar letter grade for performance thus far originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Yankees have the second-best record in the American League, yet trail the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East.
More than a handful of their losses are due to a lack of a strong bullpen. Adding to the reliever group should be a key focus for New York at the trade deadline.
The Yankees' closer, David Bednar, is supposed to be the leader of the bullpen. But things haven't gone smoothly for the right-hander, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer.
"Bednar is 12 of 14 in save tries, and his 4.70 ERA is more than double what it was last year with the Yankees (2.19)," The Athletic's Brendan Kuty wrote Tuesday. "He’s worked around danger all season, allowing at least one base runner in 18 of his 23 appearances. His fastball has been around 96 mph, or down just about 1 mph from last season."
Limiting base runners will be crucial to Bednar's success the rest of the way. It's what led to a blown save a few weekends ago against the New York Mets, a game the Yankees led by three heading into the bottom of the ninth.
MORE: Yankees’ Aaron Judge on track to become first player in MLB history with five 50+ homer seasons
Kuty gave Bednar a C letter grade for his performance thus far in 2026. That's not failing in school, but your mom and dad won't be hanging it on the fridge either.
With almost no other options at closer, Bednar needs a quick bounce-back. Camilo Doval, who worked as a closer with the San Francisco Giants, has shown no signs that he can be trusted in the role.
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