David Bednar recorded his fourth save of the season Saturday night but did so in unsettling fashion, allowing a run on three hits and issuing a walk before escaping the ninth inning in the New York Yankees’ 9-7 win over the Miami Marlins. It was the second straight appearance in which the hard-throwing right-hander took heat late, renewing questions about the back end of a bullpen that entered the year with high expectations.
Bednar’s trouble mirrors what happened in New York’s rubber match with the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, when he again yielded a run on three hits before finally closing the door. Through four appearances this season he has surrendered a baserunner in each outing and carries a 4.15 ERA and a concerning 2.31 WHIP — small-sample numbers, but ones that underline a recurring issue with command and consistency.
The Yankees acquired Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer, and while he was generally effective in pinstripes down the stretch, he has never thrown a full season for New York. Bednar’s résumé remains strong on paper: back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023, an NL-leading 39 saves in 2023, and a lifetime ERA of 3.16 entering this year. Still, the early-season hiccups are a reminder that converting short-term lights-out performances into a durable season-long closing role is not automatic.
The concerns extend beyond Bednar. Fellow late-inning arm Camilo Doval has also been hit hard in consecutive outings, prompting broader unease about the Yankees’ relief corps. New York’s bullpen was a recurring problem through much of 2025, both before and after the trade deadline, and the modest offseason adjustments have not produced immediate stability in April.
Manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees’ coaching staff have options — from refining usage and addressing mechanics to mixing in other late-inning candidates — but for now the most notable development is a shift from expectation to caution. Bednar’s early numbers and back-to-back shaky saves don’t yet foretell a season-long collapse, but they do represent a pattern the club will monitor closely as the schedule grinds on.
Given Bednar’s pedigree, there is reason to expect corrections; dominant relievers often weather rough stretches and rebound. Still, New York cannot afford persistent uncertainty at the back of the bullpen if it hopes to contend over a 162-game campaign, and Saturday’s ninth-inning drama served as a reminder that the Yankees’ relief picture is still very much a work in progress.