Yankees Place Mark Leiter Jr., Three Pitchers on Injured List Amid Bullpen Crisis

The New York Yankees have placed reliever Mark Leiter Jr. on the 15-day injured list with a stress fracture in his left fibula, retroactive to July 7. Leiter sustained the injury on June 24 while covering first base during an extra-inning game against the Cincinnati Reds, initially trying to pitch through the pain before medical imaging confirmed the fracture. His performance declined significantly after the injury, surrendering five earned runs in just over two innings across four appearances. Leiter had been one of the Yankees' most reliable relievers this season, with a 4.46 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 41 appearances, but his absence compounds the bullpen issues faced by the team amid a recent stretch of poor results. Manager Aaron Boone has not set a return timetable, and the Yankees called up Clayton Beeter from Triple-A Scranton to fill Leiter’s roster spot. The bullpen's struggles continue as the team copes with multiple injuries, including season-ending setbacks for starters Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt.