Veteran New York Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loáisiga is on the verge of finally wearing the pinstripes again.
The Yankees announced Wednesday that the 30-year-old Loáisiga will shift his rehab assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Loáisiga, who began pitching at Single-A Tampa last month, struck out seven and allowed one run over 3.1 innings with the Tarpons.
Loáisiga, a mainstay on the Yankees’ staff since his 2018 debut, is recovering from elbow surgery that limited him to four scoreless innings a year ago. He owns a 3.44 ERA and 207-72 K-BB ratio across 219.2 career innings.
Loáisiga’s impending return is excellent news for a Yankees team still craving reliable late-inning arms. Former All-Star closer Devin Williams blew his latest lead in Monday’s collapse against the San Diego Padres, giving him a 10.03 ERA and an unseemly 13-10 K-BB ratio over 11.2 innings.
Williams has posted -0.9 bWAR thus far, tied with Kansas City Royals reliever Sam Long and Texas Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker for the sixth-worst among any pitcher leaguewide. Only Baltimore Orioles starter Charlie Morton (-1.2 bWAR) ranks worse in the American League.
The Yankees are without starters Luis Gil (lat) and Marcus Stroman (knee), who remain out indefinitely. Ace Gerrit Cole already underwent season-ending elbow surgery, and the Yankees designated Carlos Carrasco (2-2 with a 5.91 ERA in eight games and six starts) for assignment earlier this week.
However, you likely won’t see Loáisiga join the rotation. He’s been a full-time reliever since 2021 and typically pitches an inning per outing.
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