The New York Yankees bullpen has been ravaged by injuries this year.
The Bombers lost Chad Green and Michael King for the year, Aroldis Chapman has had two stints on the injured list, and Zack Britton remains out.
Other notable relievers who have visited the doctor’s room this year are Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga, Miguel Castro, and Stephen Ridings.
It has been hard to describe, but almost every Yankees reliever has suffered an injury of some sort.
That’s why the Yankees need to recover Loaisiga’s top form.
Last year, the right-hander finished with a 2.17 ERA in 70.2 frames, and established himself as one of the top bullpen pieces in the American League.
A Rocky Season
He struggled to open the year, and then visited the injured list.
As a result, his full-season ERA is an elevated 5.29 in 32.1 frames.
Don’t let that number fool you: he has been much, much better recently.
“Jonathan Loaisiga returned from a nearly two-month IL stint on July 14th and allowed three runs in his first outing. Since then: 18 G, 15 IP, 3 ER, 10 H, 11 SO, 5 BB, 1.80 ERA,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted.
Jonathan Loaisiga returned from a nearly two-month IL stint on July 14th and allowed three runs in his first outing
Since then:
18 G, 15 IP, 3 ER, 10 H, 11 SO, 5 BB, 1.80 ERA pic.twitter.com/VsM3C6QeJw
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 31, 2022
The Yankees would love to see his strikeout rate soar a bit in order to fully declare him “back”, but he seems like a much better pitcher now than in April and May.
His stint on the shelf stemmed from a shoulder issue, so he may not have been healthy to open the year.
When 100 percent, Loaisiga is a difference-maker in the Yankees bullpen, and he seems to be rounding into form at the best and most opportunistic time.
The Yanks may be struggling as a team, but as long as they can recover some of their best pieces (like Loaisiga), they will probably be fine moving forward.
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