The Yankees transferred Brubaker (rib) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
Brubaker has yet to make his Yankees debut since being acquired from the Pirates last March, as he missed the entire 2024 season while completing his recovery from April 2023 Tommy John surgery. He appeared poised to come off the IL after the All-Star break last season, but an oblique strain suffered during his rehab assignment thwarted those plans. Brubaker then returned to full health in advance of spring training, only to get drilled by a line drive in his first Grapefruit League appearance Feb. 21 and sustaining three rib fractures on his left side. The right-hander has yet to resume baseball activities since suffering the injury, so the Yankees were comfortable moving him to the 60-day IL in order to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Adam Ottavino. Brubaker won't be eligible to return from the IL until late May.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Placed on IL due to rib fractures
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The Yankees placed Brubaker (ribs) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Brubaker suffered three broken ribs on his left side when he was hit by a comebacker in a Feb. 21 Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He'll be eligible to return from the IL on April 7, but his absence will likely be beyond that date since he has yet to start a throwing program.
Brubaker has been diagnosed with three broken ribs as a result of a play last weekend when he tried to avoid a comebacker, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that, symptomatically, Brubaker is doing OK, but it's an injury that's going to sideline the pitcher for a while. How long exactly Brubaker might be shelved is not yet clear, but it's a blow to the Yankees' rotation depth.
Yankees' JT Brubaker: Exits after being hit by comebacker
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Brubaker departed a Grapefruit League appearance against the Rays on Friday after being hit in the lower back by a comebacker, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
He tossed a scoreless fourth inning and returned for the top of the fifth when leadoff hitter Kameron Misner drilled one right back up the middle. Brubaker was in clear pain but was able to walk off the field under his own power. The right-hander missed all of 2023 and was limited to just eight rehab appearances in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and later an oblique injury, so he can ill afford to miss much time in camp if he wants to secure a spot on the 26-man roster.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Tweaks side
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Brubaker tweaked his side while attempting to avoid a comebacker during an appearance Friday versus the Rays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
The comebacker struck Brubaker in the lower back, but it's the pitcher's side that is the bigger issue. He is receiving treatment, but there is no word yet on how much time he might miss. Brubaker missed all of 2023 and was limited to just eight rehab appearances in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and later an oblique injury.
Brubaker (oblique) tossed a live batting practice session Wednesday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
Brubaker appears to be facing no restrictions to open spring training, suggesting that he's made a full recovery from his April 2023 Tommy John surgery, as well as the oblique strain he suffered in mid-July that ended up keeping him on the Yankees' 60-day injured list all season. Though the right-hander has worked almost exclusively as a starter throughout his career, a long-relief role may represent Brubaker's clearest path to a spot on the Yankees' Opening Day roster. Brubaker doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, so the Yankees would have to designate him for assignment if he's unable to secure a roster spot coming out of spring training.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Reaches deal with Yanks
Rotowire
Brubaker (oblique) agreed to a one-year contract with the Yankees on Friday to avoid arbitration.
Brubaker began the 2024 season sidelined while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was able to begin a rehab assignment in mid-June but that was halted by an oblique injury, and he was limited to only 16.2 innings across four levels of the minor leagues in 2024. Brubaker is expected to be healthy to begin the 2025 campaign.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Resumes rehab assignment
Rotowire
Brubaker (elbow/oblique) resumed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, striking out one in a perfect inning.
Brubaker made his first appearance in more than two months, as his rehab from Tommy John surgery had to be paused due to an oblique strain. The 30-year-old could be activated from the 60-day injured list before the end of the regular season, though it's difficult to imagine him pitching in anything more than a mop-up role out of the Yankees bullpen.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Shut down for several weeks
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Brubaker (oblique/elbow) will remain shut down from throwing for 3-to-4 weeks, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
The Yankees pulled Brubaker off his rehab assignment Sunday after he suffered an oblique strain during his latest minor-league start, and the team confirmed Saturday that it will likely be nearly a month before he restarts his throwing program. He remains without a clear timeline for his return, though a better picture may emerge once he's cleared to throw again.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Shut down due to oblique injury
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Brubaker (elbow) suffered an oblique strain during his most recent rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and and has been shut down from baseball activities, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Brubaker appeared to be close to completing his recovery from October 2022 Tommy John surgery, as he had been expected to come off the 60-day injured list before the end of July. It's not yet clear how far back the oblique issue will set his return timeline, but it's now doubtful that the right-hander will be able to join the Yankees before the end of the month. Brubaker had taken part in five minor-league rehab appearances prior to injuring his oblique, posting a 3.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 7:8 K:BB over 13.2 innings.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Continuing rehab at Triple-A
Rotowire
The Yankees transferred Brubaker's (elbow) rehab assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.
Brubaker made one appearance with Double-A Somerset and will continue his rehab at Triple-A. The 30-year-old has been recovering from Tommy John surgery since April of 2023 and is approaching a return to big-league action. It's unclear how many outings Brubaker will need at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but it's likely he'll be back sometime in July.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Rehab moved to Double-A
Rotowire
Brubaker (elbow) had his rehab assignment transferred from the Florida Complex League to Double-A Somerset on Sunday. He pitched three shutout innings for Somerset, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three batters.
This was Brubaker's third outing of his rehab assignment -- he previously pitched one game for Single-A Tampa and one game for the FCL Yankees. The right-hander looked good Sunday, throwing 30 of 47 pitches for strikes and yielding just one hit (a double). Brubaker appears to be building up his workload to take on a starting role, and he'll likely need a few more rehab outings before he's ready to be activated off the injured list. Once that happens, he may be optioned to Triple-A if there isn't a spot open in the big club's rotation.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Goes three scoreless in rehab start
Rotowire
Brubaker (elbow) tossed three scoreless innings and struck out two in his first rehab start Wednesday with Single-A Tampa Bay. He gave up two hits and no walks.
Making his first appearance in affiliated ball since October 2022 following a prolonged recovery from Tommy John surgery, Brubaker exhibited few signs of rust Wednesday, albeit while matching up against a lineup of lower-level Cardinals prospects. Given that Brubaker handled three innings and 22 pitches in the rehab start, the Yankees are seemingly preparing to build him up as a rotation option once he returns from the 60-day injured list. At the moment, the Yankees don't have an opening in the rotation, and if little changes on that front over the next few weeks, Brubaker will likely be optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after he completes his rehab assignment.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Starting rehab assignment
Rotowire
Brubaker (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Tampa on Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
The 30-year-old is finally ready for game action after a long rehab from Tommy John surgery. Brubaker will be an option for the Yankees' rotation sometime after the All-Star break, but it seems likely he'll be optioned to the minors initially once he's off the 60-day injured list.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Approaching rehab assignment
Rotowire
Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated early this week that Brubaker (elbow) is "getting ready to go out on an assignment," per MLB.com.
Brubaker is over 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery and has been throwing to live hitters for about five weeks. The 30-year-old hasn't pitched in a game since the 2022 season, so he'll presumably need a rehab assignment consisting of several starts. Brubaker could be ready to join the big-league club around the All-Star break, but given the success of the team's starting staff thus far and the impending return of Gerrit Cole (elbow), there doesn't appear to be room in the rotation for Brubaker at the moment.
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Yankees' JT Brubaker: Completes another live session
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Brubaker (elbow) threw two simulated innings at extended spring training Saturday, the Associated Press reports.
Brubaker is hopeful to return from the 60-day injured list around the All-Star break as he continues to make strides in his recovery from his April 12, 2023 Tommy John surgery. He already has multiple live sessions under his belt and could soon begin an extended minor-league rehab assignment within the next couple of weeks. Brubaker posted a 4.69 ERA over 144 innings in his last healthy season with the Pirates in 2022, but the Yankees are likely viewing him as more of an insurance policy in the rotation rather than counting on him to make starts for the big club once he's activated.
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