Yankees shut down rehabbing veteran due to shoulder problems

Aaron Boone revealed today that the New York Yankees will be shutting down Lou Trivino , as the veteran right-hander is dealing with shoulder issues. Given the proximity of this injury to the end of the regular season, it's more than safe to assume that his year is over, which is disappointing since the Yankees hoped he could provide some innings in the second-half and boost their bullpen. After missing the entire 2023 season due to an elbow injury that turned out to be a UCL tear, the right-hander worked his way back onto a mound in Triple-A at the end of August.

Underwhelming velocity and some poor results raised red flags, and now Lou Trivino is officially shut down with an unclear future with the Yankees.

Lou Trivino Dealing With Shoulder Problems, Yankees Shut Him Down

There were plenty of red flags for Lou Trivino on the surface, with the right-hander posting a 4.91 ERA and 12.5% walk rate across two levels of Minor League Baseball. Command was a huge issue for Trivino, who landed just of his pitches in-zone in his brief stint at the Triple-A level.

With Scranton, we got access to his pitch data, which showed a decline in velocity that likely stemmed from the shoulder discomfort he was dealing with. In 2022 he averaged 95.8 MPH on the sinker and 92.3 MPH on the cutter, but in Triple-A that dropped to just 94.3 MPH and 90.3 MPH respectively, an alarming decline in pitch quality indicates he hadn't fully rebounded.

Jake Cousins' injury would have created a lane for him to come up, but the Yankees instead chose to promote rookie Clayton Beeter, who has just begun working out of the bullpen this past month.

The Yankees have not gotten much help from another rehabbing reliever in Scott Effross, whom was acquired at the 2022 trade deadline alongside Lou Trivino. He also missed the 2023 season due to UCL reconstruction surgery, although he underwent another procedure last weekend due to back problems. Effross made his 2024 debut against the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this month, but was swiftly demoted as his stuff looked less sharp as well.

Lou Trivino has a $1.5 million club option the Yankees can pick up for the 2025 season, but this injury certainly puts into question whether it makes sense to do so. With Tim Hill, Tommy Kahnle, and Clay Holmes all hitting free agency this winter, perhaps the Yankees decide to use that option as a way to add some low-cost bullpen depth.