The New York Yankees are beginning to resemble a steadier ballclub, tightening their defense and piecing together more reliable pitching performances.
Still, the bullpen remains a wild card, with Camilo Doval’s costly home run on Sunday serving as a timely reminder — even though the Yankees pulled out the win.
Reinforcements on the horizon
The Yankees are anticipating the returns of Fernando Cruz, Ryan Yarbrough, and Jonathan Loaisiga, who just began a rehab assignment.
These additions could transform a bullpen that has shown cracks, providing much-needed depth and relieving pressure on overused arms.
Loaisiga’s return carries particular intrigue, though, because his season has been defined by inconsistency and diminished effectiveness on the mound.
Across 29.2 innings this season, he holds a 4.25 ERA with a pedestrian 7.58 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
His ground ball rate of 50.5% remains excellent, but the lack of strikeouts shows a clear decline in dominance.
A look beneath the surface
While the top-line numbers may not inspire confidence, Loaisiga’s underlying profile still leaves some room for optimism moving forward.
He maintains an impressive 86% left-on-base rate, suggesting he’s limiting damaging contact despite elevated overall production against him.
The issue is that his pitch mix has lost bite, allowing hitters to make more consistent, hard contact across the board.
Opponents are batting .300 against his sinker while slugging .500, a dramatic shift from prior years when it baffled hitters.
Even his changeup, once the defining weapon in his arsenal, has regressed into a hittable pitch with concerning results.
Opponents are hitting .259 against it with a .444 slugging percentage, neutralizing what was once a swing-and-miss pitch.
Searching for the old Loaisiga
The Yankees know a better version of Jonathan Loaisiga exists — one who attacks the strike zone with precision and confidence.
Right now, his command has slipped, and the lack of sharp movement makes his pitches look far too hittable.
It’s like a chess player losing the ability to disguise his strategy — hitters anticipate what’s coming and capitalize.
If Loaisiga can regain the feel for his sinker and sharpen his changeup, his numbers should rebound with time.
The challenge, however, is that major league hitters quickly adjust, and patience for underperformance grows thinner late in seasons.
How his return impacts the bullpen
Adding Loaisiga back to the mix still matters, even if he isn’t immediately the high-leverage weapon he once was.
His ability to generate ground balls can stabilize middle innings, buying time for the Yankees’ late-game specialists to close.
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Pairing him with arms like Cruz and Yarbrough should balance the bullpen, reducing strain on the rotation’s younger contributors.
If he settles in, Loaisiga has the potential to be more than a middle reliever — he could swing outcomes.
The Yankees are betting on his adjustments paying off, because October baseball demands bullpen reliability more than anything else.
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