Ryan Weathers' Biggest Problem Isn't Going Away for Yankees

Remember when Ryan Weathers was pitching like a near ace over his first month-and-a-half with the New York Yankees?

Well, that has come to a screeching halt.

Weathers has surrendered five-plus runs in each of his last starts and four of his last five as his ERA ballooned to 4.36 after allowing six runs in his most recent outing against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

The long ball was once again a problem for the left-hander in his last defeat, as Weathers gave up a pair of home runs. He has now coughed up seven homers over his last three starts and nine over his last five, bringing his total to 15 on the season.

This was a problem for Weathers in Spring Training, and it is rearing its ugly head again now as we inch closer and closer to the midway point of the regular season.

The most concerning part? It doesn't seem like it will be getting any better.

While Weathers boasts an impressive rate of 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, opposing batters hit him hard when they do connect. He has allowed a 10.9 percent barrel rate and a hard-hit rate of 41.6 percent, both of which are rather poor.

This isn't exactly a new development, either.

Even prior to arriving in New York, Weathers struggled with homers. He gave up seven home runs in 38.1 innings with the Miami Marlins last year, and back in 2024, he was tagged for 11 dingers over 86.2 frames.

What's more, Weathers lays claim to a career barrel rate of 8.7 percent, and his lifetime hard-hit rate is 40.1 percent.

Digging even deeper, 18.5 percent of the fly balls hit against Weathers this season leave the yard. That's a little above his career rate of 16 percent.

Basically, the 26-year-old has always allowed hard contact, even though he maintained an ERA in the 3s over his final two campaigns with the Marlins.

Here's the thing, though: Weathers made a grand total of 24 starts between 2024 and 2025, and he has never tossed 100 innings since breaking into the big leagues with the San Diego Padres back in 2021.

Taking that into consideration, we really don't know who Weathers is just yet. But it's entirely possible he really is just a No. 5 starter who masqueraded as a No. 2 for his first 10 starts of 2026.

Weathers will be moving to the bullpen anyway once Max Fried returns, but there is no question that his recent run has been disappointing regardless.

The Yankees traded four prospects to Miami in the Weathers deal, so they paid a rather hefty price to acquire him. If he ends up just becoming an inconsistent, homer-prone arm, it will be disheartening, especially given how good he looked early on.

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