New York Yankees right-hander Scott Effross has a Grade 2 hamstring strain, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Thursday. It’s the latest setback for the injury-plagued reliever. Effross, 31, left his second spring training appearance after one pitch Tuesday. Boone told reporters that Effross’ recovery will “take some time,” adding that the pitcher received a PRP injection. It’s brutal news for a talented reliever like Effross.
Scott Effross Diagnosed with Grade 2 Hamstring Strain
Effross, whom the Yankees traded former top prospect Hayden Wesneski to the Chicago Cubs for in 2022, has had a rough time staying on the field in his Yankees tenure. Since the trade, Effross has thrown 16 innings for the club, 12 and 2/3 of them coming after the trade in 2022 when he pitched to a 2.13 ERA and 23.5% strikeout rate.
After the 2o22 season, Effross had to undergo Tommy John Surgery, sidelining him for the 2023 season. There was hope that he’d be healthy for the 2024 season, but Effross began experiencing back pain in the offseason, which required surgery that December. Recovery from the surgery had him out until mid-July. He allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings last summer, spending the majority of his time pitching in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In 35 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.55 ERA with a strong 23.4% strikeout rate and a fantastic 6.6% walk rate.
With Effross out for the next few weeks and maybe Opening Day, Boone’s bullpen will have Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Ian Hamilton, Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr. and trade acquisition Fernando Cruz. Marcus Stroman is trending toward a relief role too, even though the Yankees have been working to trade the right-hander this offseason. Right-hander JT Brubaker, who hasn’t pitched in the majors in 2022 due to injury, is also in the mix for a bullpen role.
Effross has a career 2.89 ERA over 74 2/3 innings with the Cubs and Yankees, along with four saves in 77 appearances.
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