The New York Yankees are facing a dilemma with closer Clay Holmes, who just gave up his major league-high 11th blown save of the season in a game-ending grand slam to the Texas Rangers. Manager Aaron Boone stated that Holmes won’t be the automatic choice as the closer in the short term and the team will consider several options.
Rookie Wyatt Langford’s grand slam followed by Holmes’ rough outing has raised concerns about Holmes’ reliability in the closing role. Despite his struggles, Boone believes Holmes is not far off from being the dominant closer they know he can be. The Yankees are in a tight race with the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in the American League and the AL East lead.
Boone mentioned that they will go with a closer-by-committee approach, considering pitchers like Jake Cousins, Luke Weaver, Tim Hill, and Tommy Kahnle as options. Additionally, rookies Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, who are coming off the injured list, could be developed into closing options in the future.
Boone met with Holmes before the game to discuss his performance and to offer support. Holmes, who has a career-best 3.27 ERA this season, has had trouble putting away batters with two strikes. Despite the recent struggles, Boone believes in Holmes’ ability to handle the pressures of the closer role.
The Yankees are focused on winning games and staying competitive in the race for the postseason, which may require flexibility in the closing role moving forward.
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