New York Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga had been one of the revelations of the 2021 season, with a 2.17 ERA in 70.2 innings.
He was marvelous, and his sinker was a huge problem for hitters.
But his performance this year has been disastrous: a 7.02 ERA in 16.2 innings has made the Yankees reformulate their late-inning arrangements.
Loaisiga’s sinker was just not as sharp as in 2021: his command was way off, and that was his main problem.
Now, we are starting to get some answers to the question “what happens to Loaisiga?”: he is landing on the 15-day injured list with shoulder discomfort, according to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic.
Jonathan Loaisiga is going on the IL with shoulder discomfort, Aaron Boone says.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) May 25, 2022
Shoulder discomfort is a very broad term that may or may not mean there is a long-term injury.
But it’s a scary term nonetheless, especially for a pitcher.
The Yankees Should Have More Information Within A Day Or Two
The Yankees will likely run a battery of tests and imaging on the right-hander’s shoulder in the next few hours to determine the extent of the injury.
Despite his atrocious performance, the Yankees were confident on Loaisiga turning things around at some point.
The injury is a huge blow to a bullpen that recently lost Chad Green for the year and Aroldis Chapman for the next few days.
The unit, as a whole, has been very good, with a solid 3.17 ERA, the fifth-best in the majors.
But we will have to see how it responds to losing three key relievers in a span of a week.
Hopefully, Loaisiga’s injury is not too serious and he can return to the bullpen in a couple of weeks, maybe a bit more.
The group couldn’t handle another season-ending injury.
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