The New York Yankees will be counting on Ryan Weathers to help them get through the early months of the 2026 MLB season due to injuries in their starting rotation. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt will be returning at different points during the campaign.
As for Weathers, the 26-year-old was limited to eight major league starts because of a flexor strain and lat strain in 2025, posting a 3.99 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 12 walks in 38 1/3 innings.
Nonetheless, the former Miami Marlins pitcher is ready for a new start in the Bronx and is even more excited to be teammates with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Weathers will be counted on to help New York get back to the World Series after falling short of that goal in 2025, losing in the ALDS to the Toronto Blue Jays.
“Super excited,” Weathers told SNY on Jan. 15. “It’s one of the best players in baseball for the last decade. When I have seen him from across the other dugout, I see a leader. I see, obviously, an MVP player, but I see a leader in the clubhouse. Not many people get dubbed the captain of the New York Yankees. That’s a huge honor for him. I, obviously, have seen that he is a true captain, a true leader. I’m looking forward to just being in the clubhouse.”
Yankees Get Good News on Ryan Weathers’ Health for 2026
Despite the injury concern, Weathers spoke with SNY in a video posted on Jan. 15 and shared good news regarding his health as he prepares for Year 1 in the Bronx after this week’s trade.
“I’m feeling great,” Weathers told the outlet. “Bullpen the other day, this is the best I’ve probably felt in a year and a half. I feel really healthy. I really did a dive and worked with [this] company on figuring out how to lengthen my lat out, lengthen my back out.
“We really adjusted a lot of my lifting patterns. We really adjusted my mobility and my prep. I think my arm is reaping the benefits right now, and I’m just excited to see where the season goes.”
Yankees Get Major Praise for Making Ryan Weathers Trade
The Yankees gave up four prospects in the deal to the Marlins, which was reportedly completed on Jan. 13 . Outfielders Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones, and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus all went to the Marlins and will continue their baseball careers in their system.
Nonetheless, Weathers is 26 years old and barely in the prime of his career. As a result, former MLB general manager Steve Phillips is raving over this deal for the Yankees.
“Brian Cashman has been saying all along they want to continue to look for pitching, and I love this trade for the Yankees,” Phillips said in a video posted on Jan. 13 by MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM .
“Now, again, we’ll see about the prospects and what they turn out to be, but I do like the notion of getting Ryan Weathers from the Marlins… But I like him. I like his stuff; I like his moxie. I think he’s growing and developing.”
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