Luke Weaver calls 'trash' outing as Yankees fall 7-0 to Twins

MINNEAPOLIS — Luke Weaver did not try to sugarcoat a poor outing after the New York Yankees' 7-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Monday night, saying simply: "That was trash."

Weaver was charged with five runs while recording one out in the seventh inning, surrendering three hits and two walks in a reliever appearance that made a comeback attempt more difficult for the Yankees in Target Field. The loss dropped the Yankees further behind in the game and underscored recent inconsistency from Weaver, who has allowed at least one run in four of his last six appearances.

He attributed Monday's problems to mechanical issues rather than injury. "The body just wasn’t on time. It wasn’t aligned with what I was trying to execute and do. I felt like I was fighting myself the whole time," Weaver said. "Mentally, I was just trying to overcome it, have a good mindset and stay within myself. Those two things just weren’t coming together. I’m not in any pain or anything along those lines. It’s just an energy, a lack of togetherness with the body."

Weaver's earlier appearance in the week had shown the stuff that has helped him be effective over the past two seasons. In Saturday's win over the Boston Red Sox, he recorded two strikeouts to strand a pair of inherited runners, a sequence teammates and observers said was reminiscent of his better recent work. But the seventh-inning collapse in Minneapolis continued a string of hiccups as the Yankees push into the postseason stretch.

The game also featured team observances tied to Roberto Clemente Day. Before the home half of the night, Carlos Rodón was named the Yankees' nominee for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award in recognition of his and his wife Ashley's work with a foundation that supports couples facing infertility and pregnancy loss. Rodón called the honor "definitely a big honor," and praised Clemente as "quite the ambassador for baseball. An unbelievable player on the field and a better person off the field."

Seven Yankees players — David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Paul Goldschmidt, Tim Hill, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Rodón — wore No. 21 in tribute to Clemente. Bednar, who grew up in Pittsburgh and spent more than four seasons with the Pirates, said he supported retiring the number leaguewide "just what he meant to the game of baseball and more importantly, who he was off the field."

Manager Aaron Boone made a lineup adjustment Monday with catcher Ben Rice, who had started 11 straight games, out of the initial lineup before pinch-hitting and catching the eighth inning. "He’s obviously played probably as much as anyone," Boone said. "Being mindful of this time of year, he hasn’t played a lot down the stretch [in previous years] and he’s catching on top of it."

Amid the Yankees' mixed individual and team results, Aaron Judge received recognition Monday as the American League Player of the Week after going 9-for-20 (.450) with a 1.760 OPS and five home runs over six games.

The Yankees face a packed schedule down the final weeks of the regular season as they try to secure position and momentum for October. Weaver said he and the pitching staff will work on getting mechanics back in sync before the postseason push. "Those things happen," he said of mechanical slippage. "But it’s just inexcusable. We got to find a way to get it done and overcome that."