3 Yankees rotation replacement after Carlos Rodón and Frankie Montas injuries

Yankees: Who will step up for Carlos Rodón and Freddie Montas?

RHP Deivi Garcia

The Yankees’ 2020 ALDS Game 2 starter Deivi Garcia is back and looking to capitalize on a second chance to get back in the action.

In his major league stint in 2020, he had a sub-5.00 era, allowing six home runs, and 19 earned runs in that span. Although he was hit around hard at times, which led to a hard-hit rate of almost 40 percent, he showed flashes of brilliance, keeping the Yankees in multiple games during the 2020 season when he pitched in six games.

Although he hasn’t pitched in the majors since April of 2021, he has shown signs of readiness. Garcia has only allowed one run on two hits and a walk this spring. So far, his fastball topped out at 98.2 MPH, an improvement from past seasons. He used a curveball that has more break on both horizontal and vertical planes. His curveball now has almost 10 more inches of horizontal break on average.

Credible reports cited causes such as a change in his arm slot and a dip in velocity as the reasons why he failed to do well in 2021 and 2022. These shifts led to a change in the shape of his once deadly 12-6 curveball, which went through the entire length of the strike zone, and a slower, hanging curveball.

Although he might not be a starter right away, he will be a part of depth in case the Yankees need a spot start for situations like double headers and injuries. Even if Garcia is thrown into the bullpen mix, he will be in a position to make a pitching impact.