| Date | News | Comment |
| Jun 26 2024 | The Yankees transferred Effross's (back) rehab assignment from Single-A Tampa to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross turned in a pair of clean rehab outings for Tampa, covering three shutout innings while striking out four. He'll likely be in store for a more extended stay at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that could extend the full length of his 30-day rehab window, which began June 19. The right-hander missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from October 2022 Tommy John surgery and has been on the Yankees' injured list for the entirety of the current season while he works his way back from December back surgery. |
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| Jun 18 2024 | Effross (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Tampa on Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross hasn't pitched since 2022 due to Tommy John and back surgeries. He'll need time to knock the rust off but could be a weapon in the second half for the Yankees if he can regain his pre-surgery sharpness. Effross posted a 2.78 ERA and 80:16 K:BB over 71.1 innings from 2021-22 with the Cubs and Yankees. |
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| Jun 15 2024 | Effross (back) has been throwing to live hitters for several weeks and is getting close to kicking off a minor-league rehab assignment, per MLB.com. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2022 and then had back surgery last December. Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently stated that the righty reliever is responding well to his throwing sessions, and it appears that he could begin a rehab stint soon, though Boone didn't indicate an exact date. When Effross is ready to return to the big club, he'll strengthen a bullpen unit that currently ranks third in the majors in team ERA. |
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| May 26 2024 | Effross (back) is doing well, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, and has been throwing bullpens for several weeks, per MLB.com. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross hasn't seen game action since the 2022 campaign, and he underwent Tommy John surgery in October that year. The righty reliever then had back surgery last December, which delayed his quest to return to the majors. Effross appears set to throw live batting practice soon, and the following step could be a minor-league rehab stint. |
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| May 12 2024 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Effross (back) is close to facing hitters again, MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross' last appearance in affiliated ball came Oct. 3, 2022, with the right-handed reliever requiring Tommy John surgery later that month. Though he's fully healed from the elbow surgery, Effross experienced back discomfort last fall and ultimately required a microdiscectomy of his L-4 and L-5 vertabrae. Effross was held back in spring training while he completed his recovery from back surgery, but he seems to have resumed throwing bullpen sessions without issue and should soon take the mound against live hitters. The Yankees are hopeful that Effross will be ready to return from the 60-day injured list at some point during the summer. |
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| Feb 14 2024 | The Yankees placed Effross (back) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross can be activated from the IL in late May, but he may not be ready to pitch when first eligible, given that manager Aaron Boone said earlier Wednesday that the right-handed reliever would be out until sometime in the summer while he recovers from the back surgery he underwent in December. The 30-year-old is on the 60-day IL to open a season for a second year in a row, after he missed all of the 2023 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He'll be replaced on the 40-man roster by left-handed reliever Clayton Andrews, whom the Yankees acquired from the Brewers on Wednesday. |
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| Aug 15 2023 | Effross (elbow) has been throwing bullpens and hopes to progress to tossing live batting practice in September or October, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't return to the Yankees this season. However, his recent progress and his intention to throw to live hitters in the next month or two suggest that the righty reliever could be ready to go by spring training next year. Effross had elbow surgery last October, so he'll be just over 16 months removed from the procedure when the 2024 spring slate kicks off. |
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| May 1 2023 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Effross (elbow) recently began a throwing program, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Since Effross is working his way back from October 2022 Tommy John surgery, he'll likely steadily build up his long-toss distance off flat ground for the next several weeks before potentially advancing to mound work by the summer. Even though Effross seems to be making good progress in the early stages of his recovery from surgery, he's still not expected to be an option for the New York bullpen at any point in 2023. |
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| Mar 30 2023 | The Yankees placed Effross (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross is set to miss the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so his placement on the 60-day IL is merely a formality. The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for shortstop Anthony Volpe, whose contract was selected ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Giants. |
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| Mar 9 2023 | Effross (elbow) began a throwing program Monday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross is at the beginning stages of a long road back from last October's Tommy John surgery. There might be an outside chance he makes it back late in the 2023 season, but the better bet is that he'll be held out until 2024. |
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| Oct 11 2022 | Effross requires Tommy John surgery, which will presumably keep him out for all of next season, Jack Curry of YES Network reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross was one of the Yankees' key trade deadline acquisitions and went on to save three games while posting a 2.13 ERA for his new team. He was poised to be one of the team's key high-leverage relievers this postseason, and his absence leaves an injury-plagued unit with one more important spot to fill. |
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| Oct 3 2022 | Effross pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one batter on his way to a save in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rangers. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross was called upon in the bottom of the ninth inning to protect a 3-1 lead, retiring all three batters he faced in order including a strikeout. The save was his fourth of the season and second since returning from the 15-day injured list Sept. 22. Effross now owns a 2.54 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 62 punchouts over 56.2 innings in 60 games with the Cubs and Yankees this year. |
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| Sep 25 2022 | Effross gave up one hit and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning of work to earn the save in a 7-5 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross is in the mix for saves now that he is healthy and back from a shoulder strain that had him placed on the 15-day injured list. Clay Holmes still appears to be the main man in the Yankees bullpen, but Lou Trivino and Jonathan Loaisiga have also been used in high-leverage situations within the past week. Effross has been solid this season and has a 2.70 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 56 appearances. |
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| Sep 22 2022 | Effross (shoulder) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list prior to Thursday's game against the Red Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The Yankees targeted Effross in a deadline deal with the Cubs, in which they sent out quality starting pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski, so he is a clear part of their high-leverage plans. Clay Holmes is currently heading a ninth-inning committee, and Effross could get a save or two over the final two weeks of the season. |
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| Sep 21 2022 | Effross (shoulder) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list Thursday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross made a rehab appearance at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday and allowed two runs on three hits and no walks while failing to strike out a batter in a relief inning. The right-hander should be available out of the bullpen for Thursday's series opener against the Red Sox after missing just over a month. Manager Aaron Boone plans to take a committee approach for the late innings, per Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record, so Effross could be in the mix for some save chances if he pitches well once activated. |
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| Sep 16 2022 | Effross (shoulder) is scheduled to make a rehab outing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross threw 20 pitches against live hitters, clearing the way for the start of a rehab assignment. The 28-year-old could be activated from the injured list as early as Tuesday if all goes well with the RailRiders this weekend. |
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| Sep 9 2022 | Effross (shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session either Friday or Saturday, Max Goodman of SI.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross went on the 15-day injured list Aug. 22 with a shoulder strain and hasn't thrown from a mound since. He appears to be progressing well, however, with Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicating that the righty reliever is "getting close." Effross has pitched well since joining New York at the trade deadline, allowing zero earned runs in seven of eight appearances and recording two holds along with one save. |
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| Aug 22 2022 | Effross (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross is dealing with a minor strain in his shoulder and is expected to be shut down from throwing for 7-to-10 days, but manager Aaron Boone hopes that the right-hander will be able to return in a few weeks. While it's possible that Effross' shutdown leads him to miss slightly more than the minimum of 15 days, it doesn't sound like the Yankees are anticipating a particularly lengthy absence. He'll be joining Clay Holmes (back) on the shelf, prompting Boone to say that the Yankees will "mix and match" in the ninth inning while they're without two of their top relievers, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Aroldis Chapman and Lou Trivino are likely the leading candidates to pick up saves until Holmes potentially returns from the IL early next week. |
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| Aug 21 2022 | Effross experienced some shoulder stiffness following Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross was sharp during Saturday's outing, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out one in a scoreless inning. However, he didn't pitch during Sunday's series finale. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available Monday against the Mets. |
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| Aug 17 2022 | Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Effross and Aroldis Chapman will be the team's primary closing options while Clay Holmes (back) is on the 15-day injured list, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The left-handed Chapman's longer track record of closing experience along with his excellent results of late probably make him the better bet to handle the majority of the save chances during Holmes' absence, but the right-handed Effross will at least allow Boone to mix and match a bit depending on how the opposing lineups shake out late in games. Boone has already shown a willingness to use Effross in a closing situation, as the 28-year-old most recently bagged his first save with the Yankees his last time out Saturday in Boston. He still may be worthy of a short-term pickup in mixed leagues where Chapman is already being rostered. |
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| Aug 14 2022 | Effross gave up two hits in a scoreless ninth inning of work to earn the save in a 3-2 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday. He struck out one. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Yankees manager Aaron Boone called on Effross to close the door in the bottom of the ninth in a tight one-run game. He allowed a couple of hits but got the job done by getting Xander Bogaerts to pop up in the infield to end the game with the tying run on third and the winning run at first. It was his second save of the season and his first with New York since coming over from the Cubs at the trade deadline. Yankees closer Clay Holmes has struggled lately, giving up runs in four of his last five appearances, including three blown saves. It is worth monitoring the bullpen usage in New York as it now appears that Effross could be in the mix for saves moving forward if Holmes cannot quickly regain his command. Both Aroldis Chapman and Lou Trivino had pitched earlier in the game and were unavailable in the save situation. |
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| Aug 6 2022 | Effross picked up a hold against St. Louis on Friday, allowing one walk and striking out two batters over 1.1 innings. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross entered with the Yankees holding a one-run lead and two outs in the sixth inning. The right-hander struck out Paul DeJong with two runners on base, then worked around a leadoff walk to set the Cardinals down in the seventh. Though Clay Holmes blew the save in the following frame, Effross secured a hold with his strong effort. He has 14 holds between the Cubs and Yankees this season and looks to be a high-leverage option for New York. |
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| Aug 1 2022 | The Yankees acquired Effross from the Cubs on Monday, according to Jack Curry of YES Network. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that right-hander Hayden Wesneski will head to Chicago to complete the deal. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 28-year-old right-hander has shined in his first full season in the majors, posting a 2.66 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 50:11 K:BB over 44 innings out of the Chicago bullpen while holding left-handed hitters to a .132 average. Though he was viewed as the next man up to save games for the Cubs had the team moved closer David Robertson ahead of the deadline, Chicago instead elected to cash out its top setup man in favor of a highly regarded starting pitching prospect in Wesneski. Though Effross likely won't have a path to closing in New York while Clay Holmes and Aroldis Chapman are ahead of him in the pecking order, he's under club control through the 2027 season and should bring some needed stability to the setup ranks in the wake of Michael King's (elbow) season-ending injury. |
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| Jul 25 2022 | Effross worked around a hit to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and record the save in Monday's 3-2 win over the Pirates. He struck out one. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Regular closer David Robertson pitched the last two days, so the Cubs gave him the day off and turned to Effross instead. The 28-year-old responded with his first save at the MLB level in four career chances. Effross has been pretty solid this year with a 2.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 50 strikeouts across 43 innings, and he might end up seeing more save chances if the veteran Robertson ends up getting traded before the upcoming deadline. |
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| May 3 2022 | Effross (0-1) earned the loss and allowed two unearned runs on two hits in 1.1 innings in a 3-1 defeat Tuesday against the White Sox. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross was named the starter earlier in the day when Drew Smyly was placed on the bereavement list. He retired the side in order in the first but a throwing error led to two unearned runs in the second inning, putting him in line for the loss. The 28-year-old has demonstrated excellent control as a big-leaguer, walking just two batters in 26 innings over the past two seasons. The Cubs have utilized him primarily in middle-relief and he likely will stay in that role for the near term. |
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| Mar 31 2022 | Effross seems likely to be a member of the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross made his MLB debut last season and pitched in 14 games for Chicago. He performed pretty well, registering a 3.68 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 18 strikeouts across 14.2 innings. Jonathan Holder, Ethan Roberts and Michael Rucker are a few of the other pitchers vying for bullpen spots in camp, though it seems like Effross has a leg up at this point. |
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| Sep 19 2021 | Effross (2-1) was tagged with the loss Saturday against Milwaukee after allowing two runs on three hits across two-thirds of an inning, fanning one. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross was coming off two straight scoreless appearances but didn't have his best stuff in this one, giving up a solo shot to Manny Pina and an RBI single to Kolten Wong, and he was unable to keep the Cubs in the game down the stretch. This was his worst outing of the year, but he has been decent since getting promoted to the big-league roster, posting a 3.86 ERA with a 13:2 K:BB through 9.1 innings across eight appearances. |
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| Sep 4 2021 | Effross allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the win Saturday versus Pittsburgh. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: The 27-year-old was called upon for the ninth inning with the Cubs trailing by two, but he ended up with his first big-league win when they walked it off in the bottom of the frame. After allowing two runs in two-thirds of an inning in his debut Aug. 29 versus the White Sox, Effross has delivered three scoreless innings in his last two appearances. He's still likely to see mainly low-leverage work. |
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| Aug 28 2021 | The Cubs selected Effross' contract from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. | ROTOWIRE RECOMMENDS: Effross has appeared in 23 games for Triple-A Iowa this season, posting a 3.64 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 42 innings. Having never pitched in the majors, the righty will likely be eased into things with low-leverage relief work, or perhaps a spot start if necessary. |
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