New York Yankees might have found their 5th starter in the rotation

One of the highlights of the New York Yankees’ demolition of the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday was pitcher, Jonathan Loaisiga, who struck out four batters in two innings to seal the win. The 25-year-old has spent time as a starter with the Yankees’ but has struggled in that role in the past, but adding several off-speed pitches to his arsenal this offseason has given him the boost he needs to excel.

Due to the injuries to Luis Severino and James Paxton, the Yankees have found themselves in a position of supplementation, especially toward the end of the starting rotation. The $324 million spent on Gerrit Cole is proving to be quite significant right about now, but that doesn’t eliminate the problematic situation they’re inevitably in.

Loaisiga is one of several pitchers who have looked solid this Grapefruit League season, showing impressive accuracy and velocity on his fastball and an increased strikeout rate. While the conditions in sunny Florida aren’t comparable to the tainted weather in the Bronx, his success provides optimism that the Yankees might be okay moving forward.

“He’s coming in on the attack right now and seems to have a feel for his pitches,” Boone said. “You see that dynamic stuff. We’ll continue to stretch him out a little bit; what role it ends up being, it could be multiples. It’s just good to see him throwing the ball well and on the attack.”

The New York Yankees need to proceed with caution:

With injuries mounting in the starting unit and position player groupings, the Yankees should take the next few weeks easy. Shutting down Masahiro Tanaka, who has been stellar this pre-season, would be advisable. Loaisiga should earn another outing to remain consistent, but we’ve seen enough to develop a sense of optimism.

Last season, the third-year player posted a 4.55 ERA over 15 games. Not the best overall production but not bad either; the expectation is that his efficiency will increase in 2020 after a strong start to 2020. I expect to see more off-speed pitches mixed into his style, which aids his quest to become a regular starter.