Scattered throughout the year, in a thin bullpen that could’ve used an upgrade at the trade deadline but didn’t get one, the Yankees have uncovered some success with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre relievers.
Yerry De los Santos has pitched to a 1.00 ERA across six appearances.
For Kervin Castro, it was a 1.42 ERA in five appearances.
Until a dud in his last appearance before getting optioned, Angel Chivilli’s ERA sat at 0.57.
Enter Bradley Hanner, called up Tuesday after Castro landed on the injured list and tasked with becoming the next Yankees discovery.
A 27-year-old yet to make his MLB debut, Hanner was drafted in 2019 in the 21st round, which no longer exists.
In an era of velocity-driven pitchers, Hanner relies on arm angles and a four-seamer that averaged 93.7 mph in his last minor league outing to complement a sinker, cutter and sweeper.
His chance could be fleeting, something that could close when Castro returns. But Hanner, who Aaron Boone said has been in the mix for a call-up for over a month, still had a chance to soak in “everything I dreamed of” and avoided the temptation to look down the road.
“Just because a guy doesn’t light up the radar gun,” Boone said before the Yankees’ 10-5 win over the Mariners on Wednesday in The Bronx, “doesn’t mean he doesn’t have good stuff. … There’s a lot of things that make you good or nasty or whatever, not just power.”
Still, the presence of the unproven Hanner also captured the risk the Yankees took at the deadline.
They didn’t add a reliever. They even dealt away Camilo Doval.
They’ve banked on starters Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt getting healthy and current members of their rotation shifting to the bullpen. But formulating a plan around health can be a delicate strategy, one capable of quickly going awry.
Hanner has built a career without velocity, going from the Twins to the Guardians and then the Yankees in the winter on a minor league deal.
He triggered an opt-out clause July 15 that resulted in the Yankees selecting his contract, adding him to the 40-man roster and giving him his first jolt of belief that he could crack the majors this year.
Hanner pitched to a 2.10 ERA across 40 appearances in Triple-A, recording a 29.0 strikeout percentage and an 11.4 walk percentage.
He knows, too, that he won’t overpower opponents but can rather attack and get ahead in counts.
“Velo is king now,” he told The Post, “but throwing strikes is also king.”
In 2026, right-handed hitters recorded just a .167 average against him in Triple-A — and the Yankees, Boone said, will try to find Hanner lanes with righties.
And for now, in the second week of August, with just over 40 games remaining in the regular season, one of the final spots in the bullpen belongs to Hanner.
“[Fernando] Cruz told me, ‘You only debut once,’ ” Hanner said. “Take everything in. Enjoy it. … The rest will take care of itself. I’m not looking down the road. Like, I’m looking to help this team win and whatever happens, happens.”
