Zack Britton’s hopes of pitching in the postseason are over.
The Yankees placed the left-handed reliever on the 60-day injured list Saturday after he exited his outing Friday with “shoulder fatigue.” Britton was just over 12 months removed from UCL surgery and pushed the timeline for a return so he could help the Yankees in the playoffs, but it did not work out.
“Just the stress of the innings up here, just not quite ready,” Britton said Saturday after the Yankees’ 8-0 win over the Orioles. “In a couple months I’ll probably be ready. We just don’t have a lot of time. I’m not quite there yet. I’m looking forward to being in a good spot next year.
“I’m frustrated I don’t get to my goal of pitching for this team in the postseason. It was just a buildup of getting really tired. I was on an accelerated program, so you don’t get as much rest between stages. I just hit that wall.”
The Yankees called up Jacob Barnes from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Britton’s roster spot. The former Mets reliever pitched the final 1 ²/₃ innings of the win Saturday, though he could soon be gone with Wandy Peralta, Miguel Castro and Albert Abreu nearing returns from the IL.
The 34-year-old Britton, a pending free agent, ended up pitching in three games, recording two outs and walking six batters with one strikeout. He and the Yankees did not want to risk his elbow by having him try to push through that fatigue.
“I’m just appreciative of how hard he’s worked to get to this point to give himself a chance,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously coming back quick by Tommy John standards, the rehab’s gone really well. I feel like a lot of things are lined up. It’s just that final sharpness. At this point in the season, just kind of up against it there.”
Britton was not guaranteed to make the Yankees’ postseason roster, but his absence adds yet another question to their bullpen. With Clay Holmes (shoulder strain) currently shut down from throwing for a few more days, Peralta (thoracic spine tightness) on the IL and Aroldis Chapman still unpredictable, the Yankees are nearing the end of the regular season still trying to figure out roles in the late innings.
As for Britton’s future in The Bronx, the veteran said he and the Yankees have not yet talked about whether a return could be in the cards.
“I like it here,” said Britton, who expects to have a normal offseason. “I’ve been here for a while. We’ll have those conversations. I don’t think anyone is worried about next year, it was about what was right for me, what is right for the team for the next couple months.”
—Additional reporting by Dan Martin