It is only early-April, but the New York Yankees have taken their fan base on one heck of an emotional roller coaster ride this year.
A productive offseason highlighted by the Juan Soto trade and Marcus Stroman signing reinvigorated the Bronx after a failed 2023 campaign. The excitement dissipated, however, after Gerrit Cole suffered an elbow injury that will keep him out at least until the end of May. The Yanks are thriving in the face of adversity to start the 2024 MLB season, sweeping perennial thorn-in-their-side Houston Astros on the road and taking two of three from the National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
Apparently, though, the team cannot go much longer than a week without being dealt bad news. Actually, this latest update is downright devastating. Right-handed relief pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga has a torn UCL and must undergo season-ending elbow surgery, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
This confirms everyone's worst fears, which arose after Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that Loaisiga is dealing with a “significant” injury. He did not give up a run in four innings of work this season, suggesting that a return to his dominant 2021 form (2.17 ERA) was plausible.
After pushing his way through months of rehab in 2023, the 29-year-old is suffering another brutal blow. The one iota of positivity to come out of this situation is that the procedure Loaisiga will have is reportedly not Tommy John surgery. Still, the return timetable is projected to be 10 to 12 months.
New York usually manages to find more competent relievers, but another pitching injury threatens to have negative long-term effects on the staff. The next-man-up philosophy can only last so long before the added burden takes its toll. A trying start to 2024 is now even more challenging.
Yankees are being pushed to the brink with injuries
Lady Luck has not been a frequent visitor to Yankee Stadium the last few years, as several key players have spent time on the injured list. Even when the club actively tries to get younger and more athletic, disaster strikes. Look no further than outfielder Jasson Dominguez.
Is there an end in sight? Stars like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, and a possible star-in-the-making in Anthony Volpe, might be able to anchor the lineup while others recover, but a lack of pitching depth is much trickier to navigate. The Jonathan Loaisiga injury means that Boone loses a veteran he trusts to help New York bridge the gap to closer Clay Holmes.
Although the Yankees' bullpen is looking sharp for the most part, they must be prepared for a slump. If the team can build on its 6-2 start in the early goings, it might be able to withstand a potential implosion in the pen.
But this franchise cannot afford additional injury problems. Two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu did just take batting practice, per Bryan Hoch, so there is at least some good news to come out of this weekend for the Yankees. They will try to double down on it when they battle the Toronto Blue Jays (4-4) Saturday night.
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