Yankees place Ian Hamilton on 15-day IL, recall Nick Ramirez

So much went on during last night’s chaotic 6-3 win over the Blue Jays that reliever Ian Hamilton’s injury almost got buried in the madness. The right-hander had a difficult task in front of him when he suddenly had to take the hill in the fourth inning following Domingo Germán’s ejection for foreign substances, and he wasn’t exactly on his game.

Hamilton had sparkled with a 1.27 ERA and 1.66 FIP in 15 appearances (far exceeding preseason expectations as a non-roster invitee to spring training), but he allowed a hit and walked two batters while recording just two outs. Following the second free pass, manager Aaron Boone came to the mound with the training staff to check on Hamilton, and he quickly departed. The team later announced that he had a groin injury and in the postgame, Boone indicated that a possible IL stint was ahead.

Said absence has come to pass, as the Yankees just announced that Hamilton would hit the 15-day IL.

Whenever a pitcher departs with an injury, the immediate fear is something related to the arm, so it’s better that this is a more ordinary ailment. Still, the Yankees will have to get by without one of their most reliable relievers for at least the next two weeks. Michael King, Wandy Peralta, Ron Marinaccio, and Clay Holmes are already seeing quite a bit of work as it stands, so expect even more Albert Abreu than we normally would.

To fill Hamilton’s spot, the Yankees turned to veteran lefty Nick Ramirez, who made three appearances earlier in 2023 before being demoted in favor of a fresh arm during last week’s homestand against the A’s. The injury to Hamilton allowed for his (relatively) quick return. The 33-year-old Ramirez has a 2.84 ERA and 3.46 FIP in 6.1 innings at the big league level this year and was a steady arm in the bullpen for Triple-A Stanton. For now, that’s the best that the Yankees can do until Hamilton (and hopefully in June, Tommy Kahnle) returns.

No suspension has yet been announced for Germán, who likely faces a 10-game ban akin to the one Max Scherzer saw for the Mets in April. The Yankees will not be allowed to replace him on the active roster.

Update

Germán has indeed been suspended for 10 games. Read more in our story here.

Update 2

The Yankees have a timeline for Hamilton’s return and it’s not a good one. Don’t expect to see him again until about a month from now, when New York hosts a six-game homestand against the Mariners and Rangers from June 20-25.