Yankees shuffle beleaguered bullpen, promote Angel Chivilli

The Yankees shuffled their bullpen again on Wednesday, calling Angel Chivilli up from Triple-A.

The right-hander, acquired from the Rockies for TJ Rumfield over the offseason, was promoted after the team optioned Yerry De los Santos back to the minors on Tuesday night. De los Santos took the place of Jake Bird, who was optioned on Monday night, and totaled three hits, one earned run — a homer to Yoán Moncada — two walks and one strikeout over two innings and 44 pitches in the Yankees’ 7-1 loss to the Angels on Tuesday.

Chivilli may just be another fresh arm for the Yankees, though he has pitched well at Triple-A, recording a 0.00 ERA over 8.1 innings. The 23-year-old had a 6.18 ERA over 73 big league games with Colorado from 2024-2025.

“We think there’s more room there for his secondary to become really good pitches for him,” Aaron Boone said. “For him, it’s about controlling the strike zone and command. If he can control counts, he’s got some swing and miss with his secondary stuff. The fastball is big. He’ll be in the mid-to-upper-90s with his fastball, but he needs his secondary.”

To Boone’s point, Chivilli said he’s worked on improving the shape of his slider, his strike-throwing and mixing his pitches more since joining the Yankees.

While it’s possible he doesn’t stay long, Chivilli is joining a bullpen that’s been in a funk, as the unit entered Wednesday’s game against the Angels having allowed 12 earned runs over the team’s last five games.

The stretch has reignited concerns that the Bombers’ bullpen is a liability.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Boone said while acknowledging that the questions surrounding the group have been a talking point since the offseason. “But I think it’s important to point out one of the reasons we’ve won a lot of games has been that bullpen.

“So there’s been a couple days where we haven’t pitched well down there, and then it’s like, ‘See, it’s a concern.’ And really, most days, they’ve been excellent, and in some close games, too.”

The Yankees’ bullpen entered Wednesday’s game with a 3.75 ERA, which ranked 13th in the majors.

VOLPE’S FIRST REHAB GAME

Anthony Volpe (shoulder surgery) was at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday after playing in his first rehab game for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday. Volpe went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who is also rehabbing.

Volpe said that getting into a game was a “big milestone,” and that he felt good on Wednesday. The plan is for him to play in more rehab games with Somerset on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. From there, his assignment could transfer to Triple-A.

Volpe added that his shoulder feels “normal,” but he still wants to see how he’s doing after running the bases and diving for the first time in a game. The 24-year-old, who grew up in New Jersey, also said that he’s staying with his parents while rehabbing in Somerset.

RODON & COLE

Boone said that Carlos Rodón (elbow cleanup procedure/hamstring tightness) is going to throw live batting practice in Somerset on Saturday, so he’s still not quite ready for a rehab assignment.

Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery), was still going through a bullpen session when Boone spoke to reporters on Wednesday, so it wasn’t clear whether he would throw another live batting practice session or start a rehab assignment next. Either way, Boone expected Cole to throw in in Somerset on Friday.