Camilo Doval’s uneven season has left his Yankees roster spot precarious as New York leans on internal bullpen options — Yerry de los Santos, prospect Carlos Lagrange and returning arms — while eyeing trade-deadline moves to shore up late-inning reliability.
Why Camilo Doval is on thin ice
Camilo Doval’s 2026 season has been a regression, not a hiccup. Through 33 appearances he carries a career-worst 5.22 ERA, allowing 17 earned runs and five homers in 29 1/3 innings. Opponents are posting a .734 OPS and a 50% hard-hit rate against him — metrics that scream inconsistency for a team with postseason expectations. The split is stark. After a respectable 3.27 ERA through 13 May outings, Doval’s June ERA ballooned to roughly 5.63 across eight games, and his expected stats lag his actual results. For a MLB club that prizes lock-down late innings, those numbers make him expendable sooner rather than later.
Yankees pivot to internal bullpen solutions
General manager Brian Cashman appears to be prioritizing internal upgrades before pulling the trade trigger. New York’s recent roster moves show a low tolerance for mediocrity in relief: Jake Bird was optioned to Triple-A, and the club immediately promoted Yerry de los Santos.
That pattern signals a clear message — performance dictates opportunity. Promoting arms from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and testing young relievers in high-leverage situations is cheaper and less risky than surrendering top prospects at the deadline.
Yerry de los Santos: immediate upside
Yerry de los Santos has already shown flashes in limited big-league work this season, fanning six in 5 1/3 innings while allowing just one earned run. He’s the archetype of a reclamation/intraday reliever who can force a decision: if he sustains strikeout rates and misses bats, Doval’s margin for error shrinks further.
Carlos Lagrange: high-ceiling bullpen option
Carlos Lagrange’s conversion to relief accelerates the timeline for a young, high-leverage arm. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake has signaled the organization views Lagrange as a “normal reliever” candidate who could be big-league ready as early as August. The 23-year-old’s shift gives New York a power arm that profiles well for late innings and playoff usage.
Lagrange’s presence fundamentally alters roster math: a hard-throwing, high-upside reliever from the system is the type of internal solution that can displace a veteran struggling in the closer/7th–8th-inning mix.
Returning starters add bullpen flexibility
The impending returns of Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt further crowd the relief picture. Fried’s move back into the rotation would likely push Ryan Weathers into relief roles; Schmidt’s relief experience makes him a natural high-leverage option. Both add multi-inning versatility the Yankees crave for spot starts, doubleheaders and playoff series — roles Doval is less suited to fill.
Beyond the headline names, arms like Yovanny Cruz and Bradley Hanner on the Triple-A depth chart give New York additional internal alternatives before turning to external solutions.
What this means for Cashman and the trade-deadline approach
The Yankees’ sequence of promotions and roster shuffles suggests a two-step strategy: first exhaust low-cost, high-upside internal options; then, if needed, pursue external relief help at the trade deadline. That posture protects prospect capital while emphasizing controllable, immediate upgrades.
For Doval, the implication is clear — sustained ineffectiveness will make him a trade candidate, a depth cut or a non-tender risk. For Cashman, it’s about balancing urgency (the team still contends) with long-term roster construction.
What to watch next
Monitor de los Santos and Lagrange’s usage and results over the next month. If either can produce consistent, high-leverage success, the Yankees’ need for external bullpen reinforcements diminishes and Doval’s window narrows. Watch also the timing of Fried and Schmidt’s returns: their reintegration will be the inflection point for bullpen decisions.
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Short-term performance will decide whether New York shops for a proven late-inning arm or trusts its internal pipeline heading into the postseason.
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