Sometimes the most valuable midseason acquisition is the one you’ve been waiting for all along.
For the New York Yankees, that player just might be Jonathan Loaisiga, a reliever whose name has become more associated with hope than reality over the past few seasons.
But on Friday night against the Mets, the 30-year-old righty finally reminded everyone of the electric talent buried beneath the rehab reports.
Loaisiga returns with a spark in his season debut
After more than a year without significant innings, Loaisiga took the mound and delivered exactly what the Yankees needed to see.
He threw 12 pitches in a clean inning, allowing one hit but escaping without damage. His fastball was humming at 97 mph, his velocity right where the Yankees hoped it would be.
It may not have been a high-leverage moment, but for a team with October ambitions, it meant everything.
“You could see how excited they were,” Loaisiga said after the outing. “Regardless of what the score is, I really want to go out there and compete.”
He’s chasing the form that made him elite
Yankees fans don’t need to dig too far back to remember Loaisiga’s dominant 2021 campaign.
Over 70.2 innings, he posted a 2.17 ERA, flashing swing-and-miss stuff with shutdown mentality.
Since then, though, he’s been held together by tape and hope, appearing in just 17.2 innings in 2023 before another injury halted his momentum.
This year, it felt like more of the same—until now.
The Yankees didn’t trade for a big-name bullpen piece at the start of the season. That’s because they had this one in their back pocket, if his health held.
The bullpen gets a quiet but meaningful jolt
The Yankees already boast one of the strongest relief units in baseball on paper.
But baseball isn’t played on paper—it’s lived in streaks, injuries, and the unpredictable chaos of summer.
Adding Loaisiga back to the mix doesn’t just provide more depth, it brings a weapon who can be deployed in a wide range of situations.
When he’s right, he’s more than a setup man—he’s a problem-solver, capable of quieting rallies or locking down a tight inning without sweating.
The question now is health, not talent
The biggest concern moving forward is the same one it’s always been: can Loaisiga stay on the mound?
His talent has never been in question. It’s always been about availability. But if he can stay active through the summer, the Yankees will be entering the second half with an arm most teams would kill to have midseason.
It’s rare to get a player of his caliber essentially for free, and with the rotation working overtime early in the year, this boost couldn’t come at a better time.
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