According to USA TODAY Sports, Scott Effross is progressing in his recovery from elbow and back surgeries. Aaron Boone mentioned that the Yankees will soon have him start facing hitters. With the team aiming to bolster their bullpen with more strikeouts, Effross’s return could provide a boost. Acquired from the Cubs in 2022, he showed promise during his brief stint with the Yankees.
Through 71.1 innings in his Major League career, Scott Effross has a 2.78 ERA and a 27.9% strikeout rate between the Cubs and Yankees.
Scott Effross Could Begin Nearing Return to the Yankees
Aaron Boone provided the update that the Yankees should have Scott Effross facing live hitters next, which is a huge update for the right-hander. In his 13 appearances with New York, he struck out 12 batters with four walks, posting just a 2.13 ERA over that small sample size and looking like a legitimate high-leverage option for the Bronx Bombers before tearing his UCL.
Since then he has missed time rehabbing from that tear, but back surgery in December sidelined him for even longer as he would have to build back up. If the team can get a healthy Scott Effross, they could be adding a key piece back to their bullpen, especially in high-leverage situations. It should be noted that the long layoff means we’ll need to see Effross in rehab games before he can return.
With the Yankees currently having an elite team ERA (2.92), any help they can get makes them that much better, but the bullpen has a distinct quirk that they would like to mend. Their starters are second in strikeout rate (24.7%) but their relievers are 23rd (21.5%), which has created some questions about how sustainable their success can be going forward, and the idea is that their incoming reinforcements such as Tommy Kahnle can fix that issue.
