The New York Yankees are getting some bullpen reinforcements in the coming months, with Jonathan Loaisiga tossing a bullpen with the Somerset Patriots this afternoon. He has not pitched in a pro game yet, but he’s getting closer to beginning a rehab assignment which would have him on track to return at some point in late May or early June according to manager Aaron Boone.
Loaisiga has only pitched for the Yankees at the Major League level, re-signing with the Bronx Bombers this winter on a two-year deal with an option. He missed almost all of the 2024 season due to elbow surgery, suffering a UCL injury after just the second series of the year in Arizona.
Jonathan Loaisiga Throws Bullpen With Somerset, Yankees Hoping For Late Spring Return
One of the best relievers in the game when healthy, the Yankees have high hopes for Jonathan Loaisiga whom they were able to retain on a cheap deal this winter. The right-hander has a 2.89 ERA since 2021 with a 59.2% GB%, sporting one of the nastiest sinkers in the game that sits between 98-100 MPH with lots of horizontal movement. With the Yankees opening their season with 10 pitchers on the IL, they’ve run out a thinner staff than they hoped for thus far.
Aaron Boone mentioned that the expectation will be a late May or early June return for Jonathan Loaisiga, who has yet to begin a rehab assignment despite traveling with the Somerset Patriots to Hartford. The Yankees have yet to determine an exact date for a rehab assignment, but once he gets into game action the hope would be that he can build up his pitch count and get ready to handle back-to-back outings.
Injuries have robbed Loaisiga of what could have been a dominant run with the Yankees, as he’s been one of their top relievers when healthy both in the regular and postseason. He isn’t the only bullpen reinforcement on the way, with both Ian Hamilton and Tyler Matzek looking to rejoin the team at some point in April.
READ MORE: Yankees’ starter dominates in rehab assignment as reinforcements near
Ian Hamilton wasn’t dealing with an injury, but rather a nasty infection that held him out of Grapefruit League action until the final two weeks of camp. The Yankees decided to slowplay him as a result, having him get some extended work in Triple-A so he can be built up for regular use when he’s eligible to return off the IL. His expected return date is April 8th as a result of the 15-day wait required for placing him on the IL, meaning he could join the Yankees during their series in Detroit.
As for Tyler Matzek, he was dealing with an injury and was shut down for a bit, but is expected to get into rehab outings soon and could be back by the end of the month. He is signed to a Minor League deal and would require a spot on the 40-man roster in order to be placed on the Major League roster, so that could create some roster complications. With Clarke Schmidt expected to re-join the team on either April 15th or April 16th, the Yankees will have some tough roster decisions to make in the coming weeks.