The New York Yankees dominated the Toronto Blue Jays during Sunday’s doubleheader, delivering one of their most complete performances of the season.
While Max Fried stole the headlines with another ace-level start, veteran reliever Yerry de Los Santos played a quiet but important role behind the scenes.
In game one, de Los Santos was called upon to help bridge the gap after Fried’s six innings of work.
He allowed three hits but managed to toss two scoreless frames, helping the Yankees preserve their large lead and setting the table for the bullpen to finish the job cleanly.
Opportunity short-lived after strong relief showing
De Los Santos has been waiting for another shot at the majors since his last appearance with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2023.
With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, he has been nearly flawless, posting a 1.08 ERA over 8.1 innings and showing solid command across his appearances.
When the Yankees needed a fresh arm for the doubleheader, he got his chance—and made the most of it.
However, as quickly as he arrived, de Los Santos was sent back down following the sweep.
The Yankees, needing roster flexibility after playing two games in one day, made the move without hesitation, knowing they could always call him back up if an injury or emergency arises.
Is there more to de Los Santos’ story this season?
While de Los Santos didn’t overwhelm with strikeouts or nasty pitches, he got outs—and sometimes that’s all you need from a middle-inning reliever.
The Yankees tend to value pitchers who can induce ground balls and avoid catastrophic mistakes, and de Los Santos fits that mold perfectly.
Still, it’s clear he remains on the fringes of the roster, waiting for the right break to carve out a more permanent role.
It’s possible the Yankees give him another look later this summer, especially if the bullpen needs a jolt of fresh energy.
For now, though, he returns to Triple-A, where he’ll keep working and waiting for his next call.
Sometimes in baseball, it’s like being stuck on a treadmill—you have to keep running hard without knowing when you’ll finally get off.
De Los Santos showed he’s ready whenever that time comes again.
