The Yankees brought back Jonathan Loaisiga this winter after undergoing UCL surgery in April that ended his 2024 season prematurely, and he’s targeting a return to the bullpen before the All-Star Break.
A return could be around late May or early June according to Loaisiga himself, who won’t be ready for Opening Day and is still working his way back to pitching in the big leagues. He also added that he “owed it to the team and the fans” to return to the Yankees after missing almost all of 2024, wanting to return and make an impact on the roster as one of their top relievers again.
When healthy there’s no denying how good Jonathan Loaisiga is, and if this is the year where he puts it together, the Yankees could have another dominant bullpen arm on the way before July.
Jonathan Loaisiga Wants to Prove Himself to the Yankees, Should Return By June
Brian Cashman has made it a goal for him to attack the reliever market and improve the Yankees’ bullpen as much as possible, and Jonathan Loaisiga could be one of his best additions this winter. The right-hander has a 2.89 ERA and 20% K% over his last four seasons, as when he’s healthy this is one of the best relievers in the game.
The problem has obviously been keeping him healthy, as he’s pitched in just 20 games over the last two seasons and has 140.1 innings pitched over his last four. If the Yankees are going to get back to the World Series they need to show improvements not just on the defensive side of the ball, but also in their pitching staff.
Being a pretty good pitching staff won’t make up for losing Juan Soto, but being a truly elite one might be able to depending on how their defense, baserunning, and offense perform in 2025. Loaisiga coming back healthy and ready to go would be exactly what they need to help assemble that elite pitching staff, as he was a top 10 reliever back in 2021 which stands as his only fully healthy campaign in the last four years.
With Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, they could form a ferocious trio that could lockdown close games more reliably than the team did last season.
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Jonathan Loaisiga made it a point to talk about his desire to return to the Yankees, feeling as if he owed it to the team and the fanbase to comeback and do a job. The Yankees love Loaisiga and his profile, targeting him throughout the winter and fending off other attracted suitors to ensure that they had a super bullpen in 2025. The Yankees have not had this much talent in that group since their early Baby Bomber days, and they could be truly dominant together.
With the return of Tim Hill and the addition of Fernando Cruz on top of the headline-grabbing moves, they’ve put together a strong group capable of getting out in a myriad of ways. For now, the absence of Jonathan Loaisiga opens up a spot in the bullpen for someone to grab a spot on the team and make the Opening Day roster.
The Yankees may also be without Jake Cousins who has a forearm strain and is not likely to be ready for their first series in the Bronx against the Brewers.