Yankees’ David Bednar calms fears over declining velocity

The New York Yankees have played a quality brand of baseball to begin the new season. Although the Yankees are battling some injury trouble, the ball club currently leads the American League East. Another concern is the fact that reliever David Bednar’s fastball velocity has declined from an average of 97.1 mph in 2025 to just 95.6 mph in 2026, according to Gary Phillips of nydailynews.com. Bednar is not worried, however.

“I’ve had years where I’ve started a little bit lighter. It’s something I’m not worried about,” Bednar said, via Phillips. “I feel good. There’s definitely been some years where it’s taken a little bit to get in that next gear. This isn’t completely new, per se.”

The 31-year-old has recorded a 3.38 ERA across five 2026 regular season outings after pitching for Team USA during the World Baseball Classic. New York’s bullpen will need Bednar to be on top of his game this year, so the velocity decline has surely caught the team’s attention.

Bednar believes it will not prove to be an issue, though. It is only April, so there is still plenty of time for the veteran reliever to build up and find his normal velocity.

As mentioned, the Yankees have played well so far. New York is looking to make another competitive run toward the postseason. Winning the World Series is the primary goal — which is something the team has not done since the 2009 campaign. David Bednar will do everything he can to help the Yankees achieve their Fall Classic goal in 2026.

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