The Yankees’ bullpen depth just took an early hit, and it came in the most frustrating way possible. After spending the last two seasons rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, right-hander Scott Effross finally made his return to the mound in spring training. That return lasted exactly one pitch.
A Tough Break for Effross
Facing the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, Effross threw his first pitch and immediately felt something wrong in his left leg. He left the game right away, later diagnosed with a hamstring injury.
“Just kind of grabbed on him there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully it’s not something that holds him down too long because he’s done a lot of good work to get to this point. We’ll see.”
At 31 years old, Effross was already facing an uphill battle to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, needing a strong spring to prove he could still be a reliable bullpen piece. Instead, he’s now sidelined again, adding yet another setback to what has been a brutal stretch of bad luck.
A Trade That Never Panned Out
When the Yankees sent highly regarded pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski to the Chicago Cubs in 2022 to acquire Effross, the move was seen as a smart play for a versatile, high-upside reliever with multiple years of team control. Effross backed up that belief by posting a 2.54 ERA over 56.2 innings that season, mixing a nasty sidearm delivery with an ability to generate ground balls at a strong 44.6% rate.
But just as the Yankees were preparing to lean on him down the stretch, Effross suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, wiping out his 2023 season. He made a brief return to the majors last year, appearing in just three games and allowing two earned runs over 3.1 innings.
Another Setback in a Long Road Back
This latest hamstring injury only adds to the uncertainty surrounding Effross. Hamstring issues can be tricky, and the Yankees will likely proceed with caution rather than rush him back. Given how long he’s been out, his chances of making the roster were already slim, and now he may need extended time before he even gets another shot.
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Effross still has the ability to be a useful bullpen arm, but at this point, it’s fair to wonder if the Yankees will ever get the value they envisioned when they made the deal nearly two years ago.