Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga revealed to reporters (including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch) that he will need surgery to repair a torn UCL. The procedure isn’t a Tommy John surgery so it comes with a shorter recovery timeline of 10-12 months, but Loaisiga will obviously still miss the rest of the 2024 season.
New York already placed Loaisiga on the 60-day injured list yesterday with what was described as a right flexor strain, and the fact that the right-hander was immediately sent to the 60-day IL was an ominous hint that he might be facing a particularly serious injury. His 2024 campaign will now unfortunately come to an end after only three games and four scoreless innings.
This is the most serious injury yet in what has been a star-crossed career for the 29-year-old. When Loaisiga has been able to pitch, he has been very effective — over 219 2/3 MLB innings, the righty has a 3.44 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate, a very impressive 54.7% grounder rate, and some of the best soft-contact numbers of any hurler in the sport. His bottom-line results have only better since a full-time move to relief pitching in 2021, and that season saw Loaisiga post a 2.17 ERA in 70 2/3 innings over 57 appearances.
2021 was also just about the healthiest season of Loaisiga’s career, and even that breakout campaign saw him miss about a month due to a rotator cuff strain and a stint on the COVID-related injury list. He has since missed about seven weeks in 2022 with shoulder inflammation, and was then limited to 17 2/3 innings in 2023 due to elbow inflammation, surgery to remove a bone spur from that troublesome elbow, and then another inflammation-related IL placement last September. This is all on top of a Tommy John surgery that Loaisiga did require back in 2016 soon after joining the Yankees organization.
Since Loaisiga is a free agent after the season, it is possible he has played his last game in the pinstripes. The Yankees might simply want to move on from a pitcher with so many health-related question marks, yet Loaisiga won’t have a particularly high price tag coming off a lost season. Since the Yankees know his injury history as well as anyone, if they still have faith Loaisiga can return, it seems entirely possible the two sides could agree on a low-cost one-year contract for 2025. Given how the surgery hasn’t even taken place yet, there’s no rush for either side to make a decision yet, and New York will have several months to monitor Loaisiga’s recovery process.
From Loaisiga’s own perspective, obviously the UCL injury is a huge blow on many levels, but a good and healthy season would’ve lined him up for a nice free agent deal. Though he lacks the big strikeout numbers that usually lead to the highest tier of reliever contracts, Loaisiga’s knack for inducing soft contact and keeping the ball on the ground would’ve drawn attention from plenty of suitors. At a much lower price tag, this might still end up being the case in free agency, as Loaisiga has appeal as a buy-low candidate if he can establish that he’s healthy.
Scott Effross (back surgery) and Lou Trivino (Tommy John surgery) aren’t expected to be available until closer to midseason, plus the Yankees are being cautious with Tommy Kahnle’s recovery from shoulder inflammation since he was still battling some residual soreness in Spring Training. Between these injured pitchers and Loaisiga, there is plenty of opportunity emerging in New York’s bullpen for the several new relievers acquired over the offseason.
Apart from the injury concerns in the relief corps, the larger-scale question of Gerrit Cole’s health is still hanging over the team as a whole, since the ace will be out until at least late May recovering from nerve inflammation. The Yankees have done well in developing relief pitchers and finding hidden-gem bullpen options, so expect the team to continue pursuing lower-level acquisitions until some of their in-house names get healthy or until some bigger-name possibilities become available closer to the trade deadline.
Johnny Lasagna’s noodle is cooked.
Whew. Just a season ending UCL. I was getting ready to blame the pitch clock or max velocity but if it’s just the UCL, those things dont contribute. Probably slipped down the stairs at home or something.
He’s pitched his last game as a Yankee unfortunately.
2 year recovery contract incoming.
Do I smell smoke in Rome?
There are 3 pretty decent relievers due back before the 2nd half Kahnle, Effross, and Trivino. Loaisiga is very talented but the bullpen wasn’t built “needing” him to make 70 appearances.
at least the yankees can trade for shane bieber at the deadline to shore up the rotation. sorry, i meant sandy alcantara. whoops, i meant luis garcia. my bad, i meant tony gonsolin or dustin may. oh, forget it…
Those guys are injured. Spencer Strider might be available tho
Another Pitcher Injury that ends the season for him
Why are the links to Baseball Reference missing AGAIN.
Did you guys not pay the bill?
Siri, play Me and the Birds by Duster
These injuries suck and are getting out of hand.
2 years/$5M w/ a $2M buyout on a 3 year/$25.5M contract?
Teams should sign and develop only knuckleballers. That should cut down on The injury problem.
Of course. Why not? One more injury to the Yankee pitching staff. Par for the course.
That’s a real bummer, man.
Uh Oh, like one White Sox fan just said about Eloy & Robert, Jr getting hurt again. Blame It on the owner
He’s done.
Yanks should claim Tonkin off the waiver wire.
Lack of pitching will be their downfall this year.
It’s best to move on. They’ve proven they can find cheap guys and elevate their game. And there are some minor leaguers also making their way in Neely and Watson.