Tyler Matzek doing all the right things to be Yankees bullpen surprise
NY Post
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Inside the visiting dugout at Hammond Stadium on Tuesday morning, the way Aaron Boone spoke about Tyler Matzek sounded like someone who is going to make the team.
Then Matzek took the mound for his Grapefruit League debut and did little to temper that enthusiasm.
There is still a long way to go between now and March 27, when the Yankees open the season against the Brewers in The Bronx, but if Matzek can just stay healthy, he appears to have a strong chance to win a spot in the bullpen as a non-roster invitee to camp.
“You watch him and it’s like, you feel like we got something there,” Boone said before a 5-4 loss to the Twins. “Obviously he was a premier reliever and then some injuries set him back the last couple years. But he looks really good. Excited to see him get into a game, excited to get him going. But early signs point to he could absolutely factor in.”
In his first game action this spring — after his 2024 season was derailed by elbow inflammation, coming off Tommy John surgery in October of 2022 — Matzek threw a scoreless seventh inning on nine pitches and then went down to the bullpen to throw a handful more to keep his workload up.
His fastball averaged 94.6 mph, up from the 93.6 mph it averaged in 11 appearances with the Braves last year, and more in line with the velocity he had pre-Tommy John.
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