Yankees playing it coy with Luke Weaver’s return timeline

The back of the bullpen has been shuffled for at least a few weeks and likely longer.

The Yankees officially shifted Luke Weaver to the 15-day injured list for a hamstring strain that will require longer than those 15 days.

Devin Williams, who lost the closing job to Weaver before finding himself again as a setup man, returned to his ninth-inning duties 3-2 win over the Guardians in The Bronx.

The Yankees and Weaver declined to put a timetable on his return and declined to reveal the severity of the strain to his left hamstring, which he felt “grab” while warming up Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

ESPN originally reported a 4-6 week absence, a timeline that Weaver acknowledged is “floating out there” and did not want to confirm or deny.

“We’ll see,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully something that over the long haul of the season serves him and us well, just preserving him a little bit and making him hopefully all the more better for us when he comes back.”

Weaver is the only reliever the Yankees have used on three consecutive days (from May 20-22). He had pitched in 24 games through May — plenty, but far from the major league high of 29 — and leads the Yankees bullpen in innings pitched (25 ²/₃).

Did he pitch too often?

“It’s hard to pinpoint one thing,” said Weaver, who added he had never dealt with a hamstring strain in the past. “I know what my body is capable of. I was very blindsided by the fact that this happened.”

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While acknowledging the loss of Weaver — one of the best relievers in baseball who hits the IL with a 1.05 ERA and eight saves despite serving as a middle- or late-inning attack dog to start the season — is “huge,” Boone said, the Yankees will hope he returns to a bullpen that hasn’t missed a beat (or blown a game) because of Williams.

One of the best closers in the majors the past few years returned to the role with more competence than excellence.

Given a two-run lead in the ninth, Williams allowed a one-out double to Carlos Santana and a well-placed single to Daniel Schneemann to cut the lead in half.

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But with Schneemann on second, Williams got Bo Naylor to fly out. A shaky save was a save nonetheless.

“Really nothing, in my opinion,” Williams said of the difference in getting outs in the ninth as opposed to other innings. “I don’t view it as any different.”

Williams had lost his closer job by the end of April, but since May 7 has lowered his ERA from 10.00 to 6.35.

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In getting back on track, Williams cited improved command.

“I’ve seen a guy who has done what he’s done his entire career,” Weaver said of Williams, the prized offseason acquisition who held a 1.66 ERA with the Brewers from 2022-24. “He’s at full force right now. … For whatever we were seeing or whatever y’all want to write about, I know internally I felt the same way from the beginning. I know we got a stud pitcher. I know we got one of the elites in the game.

“When he is at his peak, there is not much that can be done on the hitter’s side.”

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Jasson Domínguez likely will miss “a couple days,” Boone said, but the expectation at the moment is the outfielder won’t require an IL stint.

Domínguez, who was removed from Sunday’s game with a left thumb contusion that he sustained while stealing second base, was not in Tuesday’s lineup but was feeling better.

The manager was not sure if Domínguez would try to grip a bat Tuesday with swelling that “has gotten better,” Boone said.

“Day to day,” Boone said. “Today is not the day.”

Without Domínguez, Cody Bellinger played left field with Trent Grisham in center and Aaron Judge in right.

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On a busy day of roster moves, the Yankees activated Fernando Cruz from the IL and recalled righty Yerry De los Santos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace the sidelined Weaver.

With Jazz Chisholm Jr. back, Jorbit Vivas was optioned.

Veteran righty Carlos Carrasco was designated for assignment.

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After three starts, JT Brubaker’s rehab assignment was moved from Double-A Somerset to SWB.

Righty Jake Cousins began a rehab assignment with High-A Hudson Valley.