Mark Leiter Jr. placed on IL as Yankees scramble to cover bullpen loss

Mark Leiter Jr. placed on IL as Yankees scramble to cover bullpen loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Yankees’ bullpen took a major hit Tuesday night with the announcement that right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left fibular head stress fracture. The move is retroactive to July 7.

Leiter told reporters that he felt a pop in his left leg when he was covering first base in Cincinnati. 

Leiter had quickly become one of manager Aaron Boone’s most trusted options in the middle and late innings, posting a 3.00 ERA over 30 appearances since joining the Yankees earlier this season. His splitter-heavy arsenal helped neutralize lefties and righties alike, giving the Yankees a reliable bridge to their late-game arms.

Now, they’ll be without him for the foreseeable future. That's a brutal loss for a team already dealing with instability in the rotation and a recent stretch of uneven bullpen performances.

In a corresponding move, the Yankees recalled right-hander Clayton Beeter from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Beeter, a former Dodgers prospect acquired in the Joey Gallo trade, has appeared in Beeter allowed three earned runs over 1⅔ innings on July 3. At Triple-A,  Beeter posted a 1.02 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 17⅔ innings,” marking him as one of the go-to relievers in the RailRiders bullpen

While Beeter brings upside, Leiter’s absence leaves a clear void. The Yankees have leaned heavily on their bullpen all year, and Leiter had quietly emerged as one of their most consistent arms.

The timing doesn’t help, either. 

With the team fighting to steady itself after a rocky few weeks, losing a key piece of the bullpen only adds to the challenge. They are already without Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver has struggled since coming back from the injured list. 

It's another blow in a month filled with hits to the Yankees' playoff hopes. 

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.