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Both starters in the Detroit-Pittsburgh game are hanging it up, and while Justin Verlander will someday be elected to Cooperstown, Yates had a heck of a career as well. He made that first start of his long career at the age of 39 on Saturday, and he finishes with a 3.35 ERA and 101 saves in his 518 appearances.

It sure felt like the final moment of Yates’ career when he tipped his cap to the crowd following a heartfelt send-off from his teammates after a scoreless outing in his first-ever start. The 39-year-old right-hander has spent time with eight different organizations since 2014, posting a 3.35 ERA along with 101 saves in 518 appearances during that span.

The 39-year-old Yates, out since Sept. 3 with a shoulder impingement, will get a chance to finish out the season and maybe his career on the active roster. He has a nice 3.40 ERA in 39 2/3 innings for the Angels and Pirates this year, but he is weighing retirement.

Yates, who had a 2.19 ERA in 13 games since being acquired by the Pirates on August 3, will miss at least a few weeks. Shoulder injuries for a pitcher aren’t good. The 39-year-old has been a stabilizing force in the pen and will now yield his spot to Khristian Curtis.

Yates heads to Pittsburgh as a reliable late-inning option as they attempt to make a late-season playoff push. The 39-year-old veteran has notched three saves this season along with a respectable 3.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 36/12 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings of work.

Yates came on with a 1-0 lead to protect. The 39-year-old hurler made things interesting by plunking Dillon Dingler to open the ninth inning. He then battled back to get Spencer Torkelson on a fly ball to left field before James Outman swiped second base to put the tying run in scoring position. Yates then walked Riley Greene before getting Kerry Carpenter on a fly ball to left field for the second out. Hao-Yu Lee followed with a two-run double that gave the Tigers their first lead of the day and put Yates in position for a loss.

It’s been a bit difficult for Yates to get in a groove since very few save opportunities come up for the Angels. Still, he locked this one down and has only allowed one run over his last 12 appearances. It’s been easy to overlook that he’s actually having a fine season with a 3.00 ERA across 24 appearances, but just three saves.

Yates came into a tie game in the ninth and gave up a groundball single, a sac bunt and then a long single off the wall in left to end the game. It was a tough break for a reliever who has been very good of late with little to show for it. It was the first run he’d allowed since June 22 and the first earned run since June 8. He’s still a candidate for saves in the Angels’ pen, though he has earned just two so far.

The 39-year-old Yates had 41 saves for the Padres in 2019, 33 for the Rangers in 2024 and now 26 in his other 10 seasons as a big leaguer. He should stay in the mix for saves in Anaheim, but his velocity is down 1.5-2 mph from last year and about three mph from his prime, making him difficult to rely on.

Yates was pitching with the Angels down 6-0 in the ninth, so this was hardly a crucial appearance for the 39-year-old. Still, it was nice to see him average 91 mph with his fastball for just the second time this season and fan three batters for the first time. His average fastball tonight was still down 1.7 mph from last year, and there’s little reason to expect big things going forward. However, there’s no one in the Angels pen who is clearly a better bet than Yates at the moment.

Brought in with a 4-3 lead, Yates blew the save after Jeremy Peña singled, stole second base and scored on a Christian Walker single. After the game, manager Kurt Suzuki said Yates was closing tonight because that’s what the Angels signed him to do in the offseason, which was pretty amusing because Suzuki made no such claim while declaring the ninth an open competition this spring. Signing Yates didn’t seem like such a bad idea then, but his velocity has been down about two mph from last year. Maybe he’ll get a little better than his current 5.23 ERA, but it’s hard to be overly optimistic.

Yates allowed a single, a double and a sac fly to put the Rockies on top. Actually, all five batters he faced had hard-hit balls against him. It’d be fun to see Yates step up as the Angels’ closer, but the stuff just isn’t there at this point. The hardest of his six fastballs tonight checked in at 91.2 mph. The Rockies swung at seven of his 10 pitches and made contact every time.

Yates failed in his first chance for a save with the Angels on Wednesday, but he was able to convert this one without issue. The 39-year-old didn’t allow a hit, and he struck out a batter while throwing 9-of-11 pitches for strikes. Yates has plenty of closing experience, but it’s tough to trust him even before you consider how bad the Angels are.

Yates was pitching with a lead for the first time in five appearances since coming off the IL, though that had less to do with his status than the fact that the Angels have done little but trail lately. Up 5-3, they went to Ryan Zerferjahn in the seventh tonight, only to watch him hit back-to-back batters with one out. Sam Bachman came in and, after allowing one inherited runner to score, kept the A’s scoreless through the eighth. That led to Yates taking over in a one-run game, but McNeil sent a ball 364 feet down the right-field line to even things up. The Angels ended up losing in 10. Yates has allowed three runs in five innings since coming off the IL, and his velocity is down a bit more than two mph from last year. He’s probably not going to run away with the closer’s role in Anaheim.

It’s theoretically possible that Yates takes over the closing role in Los Angeles considering Ryan Zeferjahn and Sam Bachman appears to be the only obstacles standing in his way at the moment. However, he got hit hard in a couple rehab outings where his fastball velocity was down considerably. A wait and see approach seems like the correct move here, but Yates is probably worth a speculative roster spot in extremely deep leagues where saves are hard to find on the waiver wire.

Yates threw 11 of his 16 pitches for strikes, but both of the hits off of him were hard hits. He was also sitting 90.2 mph on his four-seam fastball, which is 2.6 mph down from where he was last season. It’s still early in his rehab, but he may need a few more outings to get back to a place where we can consider using him in fantasy leagues.

Yates is trending towards a return as Jordan Romano has given up five earned runs in his last two outings. There’s no guarantee that Yates will see closer work, but he’s certainly got a cleaner recent track record than Romano despite 2025’s 5.23 ERA in 50 games out of the Dodgers pen. He may be worth stashing in deeper leagues for those looking for saves.

Yates could potentially be ready for a minor league rehab assignment later this week after hitting the shelf at the end of spring training with knee inflammation. The Angels have gone with Jordan Romano in the closer role to open the year, and he’s done a nice job so far. Yates would give them another proven high-leverage option in the late innings.

It’s nice to hear that Yates’ surprising trip to the injured list with knee inflammation appears to be a minor issue. After throwing a bullpen, it likely won’t be long before he’s back with the club. Jordan Romano secured the save for them on Opening Day with a scoreless ninth inning and it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be ahead in the pecking order for saves when both are in the bullpen together.

This came up completely out of nowhere. It looks like Jordan Romano or Drew Pomeranz will open the season as Los Angeles’ primary ninth-inning option with Yates on the shelf and Robert Stephenson (elbow) done for the year. No word yet regarding how much time Yates is expected to miss. This entire closing situation is a borderline stay-away for fantasy managers outside of extremely deep mixed leagues.