Tuesday night in Arlington brought another heavy defeat for the New York Yankees.

With a 4-3 lead entering the ninth inning, Yankees manager Aaron Boone called on Clay Holmes for his 40th save of the 2024 season. Holmes made the first out but then faltered, allowed a single and lost control. He issued consecutive walks to Josh Smith and Marcus Semien to load the bases. The first walk came after he missed a 3-2 slider, while the second came after he threw four balls in a row to Semien despite a 1-0 lead.

Against Wyatt Langford, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, Holmes hit a slider at full count and the rookie slammed it into the left-field seats for a walk-off grand slam. It was Holmes’ first blown save in two weeks and his 11th of the season, which is the MLB lead. The 7-4 loss dropped the Yankees out of first place in the AL East, put the Baltimore Orioles a half-game ahead and relegated New York to a wild-card spot.

When asked if the team would consider a change in the closer’s role, Boone declined to comment after the heavy defeat.

“I’m not going to answer that right now because we’re still very upset and emotional,” Boone told reporters. “We’re going to talk about it and do what we think is best.”

Boone acknowledged that Holmes had control issues on Tuesday, but said he would not consider taking him out of the game because of Holmes’ ability to force ground balls and consistently get out of tight situations.

Reflecting on his performance, Holmes expressed that while he feels he has pitched well overall in 2024, Tuesday’s performance was a clear exception, citing a loss of feel for his sinker and a rushed throw as reasons for his difficulties, among others.

“There have been times when I’ve thrown well and then got beat. Tonight was obviously one of those times when I didn’t throw particularly well,” Holmes told reporters. “I wasn’t good at all and I definitely didn’t deserve to win with my throwing technique… the execution was off at all. It was pretty bad tonight.”

Although Holmes has struggled to close out close games, his numbers overall aren’t bad. The 31-year-old right-hander entered Tuesday’s game with the second-highest ground ball rate of any reliever, along with a 3.27 ERA and an impressive 2.91 FIP over 55 innings. His inability to close out games is evident, however, as he’s converted just 29 of his 40 save opportunities, leading the MLB in blown saves — well ahead of other closers who have struggled, like Craig Kimbrel and David Bednar, who have each blown six saves in 29 chances.

The closer’s role was a concern for many as the trade deadline approached, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did not share that concern. After the deadline, Cashman expressed his confidence in Holmes and told reporters he did not want to replace him. Instead, he signed strikeout-heavy relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Enyel De Los Santos to complete their bullpen. However, neither acquisition has paid off as hoped – Leiter Jr. has posted a 6.08 ERA with the Yankees, while De Los Santos was DFA after allowing 10 runs on 13 hits in just 6.1 innings.

With the trade deadline now over, the Yankees can only explore internal options if they decide to move Holmes out of the closer role. Luke Weaver has been one of New York’s most effective relievers, posting a 3.33 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 54 appearances despite not recording a save in his nine-year career. Jake Cousins, with a 12.3 K/9 rate, fits the profile of a potential closer but has only recorded one save in his career. Tommy Kahnle, the most experienced option with seven career saves, has been effective this season, posting a 2.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 36 innings.

Boone left the door open for a possible move, but also expressed great confidence in Holmes, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

“I think he handles it all very well and he’s tough for it,” Boone said. “There’s been some rough times here recently and we’ve got to support him and make sure he’s right and a big part of what we do back there. … We’ve got options down there and we’ll consider everything.”