{"id":51864,"date":"2025-04-29T15:26:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T15:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=51864"},"modified":"2025-04-29T15:26:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T15:26:24","slug":"yankees-just-weeks-away-from-getting-elite-bullpen-arm-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=51864","title":{"rendered":"Yankees just weeks away from getting elite bullpen arm back"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=858,height=483,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Arizona-Diamondbacks-jonathan-loaisiga-23021547.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 33.3vw, (max-width: 768px) 428px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=384,height=241,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Arizona-Diamondbacks-jonathan-loaisiga-23021547.jpg 430w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=858,height=483,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Arizona-Diamondbacks-jonathan-loaisiga-23021547.jpg 858w\" alt=\"Yankees just weeks away from getting elite bullpen arm back\" width=\"858\" height=\"483\" \/><figcaption>Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The New York Yankees are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with their bullpen.<\/p>\n<p>After battling through a rocky first few weeks of the season, the Yankees are poised to get one of their most talented relief arms back \u2014 and it couldn\u2019t come at a better time.<\/p>\n<h2>Jonathan Loaisiga working his way back to the majors<\/h2>\n<p>Jonathan Loaisiga, the hard-throwing 30-year-old right-hander, officially began a minor league rehab assignment on April 26 with Class-A Tampa.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Houston-Astros-22890250-539x341.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=539,height=341,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Houston-Astros-22890250.jpg 539w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=384,height=243,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Houston-Astros-22890250.jpg 384w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=184,height=116,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Houston-Astros-22890250.jpg 184w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=262,height=166,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Houston-Astros-22890250.jpg 262w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,height=379,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Houston-Astros-22890250.jpg 600w\" alt=\"Yankees just weeks away from getting elite bullpen arm back\" width=\"539\" height=\"341\" \/><figcaption>Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to manager Aaron Boone, the plan is for Loaisiga to ramp up slowly, eventually pitching on back-to-back days to ensure there are no setbacks.<\/p>\n<p>His next outing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, and if all goes smoothly, the Yankees are expected to promote him to Double-A or Triple-A within the next week.<\/p>\n<p>The Yankees are proceeding cautiously \u2014 but the excitement is hard to ignore.<\/p>\n<h2>What a healthy Loaisiga could mean for the Yankees\u2019 bullpen<\/h2>\n<p>Loaisiga signed a one-year, $5 million deal this past offseason, with a club option for 2026 that could become incredibly valuable if he returns to form.<\/p>\n<p>Fans may have forgotten just how dominant he can be when healthy.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, Loaisiga was one of the best relievers in baseball, posting a sparkling 2.17 ERA over 70.2 innings and emerging as a trusted high-leverage weapon. Even in limited action last year, he tossed four scoreless innings before another injury shut him down.<\/p>\n<p>The Yankees haven\u2019t seen Loaisiga pitch over 20 innings since 2022, but the reports are promising \u2014 his velocity is right where it needs to be, and there\u2019s cautious optimism that his body will finally hold up.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20439165-539x359.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=539,height=359,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20439165.jpg 539w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=600,height=400,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20439165-scaled.jpg 600w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=384,height=256,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20439165.jpg 384w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=184,height=123,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20439165.jpg 184w, https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=262,height=175,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/USATSI_20439165.jpg 262w\" alt=\"Yankees just weeks away from getting elite bullpen arm back\" width=\"539\" height=\"359\" \/><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Why the Yankees desperately need Loaisiga back<\/h2>\n<p>The bullpen has been serviceable but inconsistent. While Luke Weaver has stepped up brilliantly in the closer role following Devin Williams\u2019 struggles, the Yankees know that deep playoff runs are built on elite relief pitching \u2014 and depth matters just as much as talent.<\/p>\n<p>Adding Loaisiga back into the mix would allow Boone to shorten games even further and protect arms from overuse as the season grinds on.<\/p>\n<p>Think of it like adding a turbo boost to a sports car that\u2019s already speeding \u2014 the Yankees don\u2019t just want to survive late innings; they want to dominate them.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s next for Loaisiga and the bullpen?<\/h2>\n<p>If Loaisiga checks all the boxes during his rehab appearances and stays healthy, the Yankees could have him back sometime in mid-to-late May.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been a long, frustrating road for one of their most electric arms, but if everything falls into place, Loaisiga might end up being the midseason reinforcement that pushes the Yankees\u2019 bullpen over the top when it matters most.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Popular Reading<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Yankees 3, Orioles 4: Good news and bad news as Bombers\u2019 comeback falls short<\/li>\n<li>Team insider shares updates on six injured Yankees<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Yankees are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with their bullpen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":51865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - 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