Yankees RHP Jonathan Loaisiga has landed on the IL with a strained rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder, per manager Aaron Boone.
Boone added that he received a cortisone shot after feeling sore on Saturday.
With crucial September games coming these next few weeks, this is the last thing the Yankees wanted to see.
Loaisiga has arguably been their best reliever all season, remaining consistent with his production and coming in clutch during some tight spots late in games. The 26-year-old owns a 2.26 ERA over 68 innings — both career highs — and even has five saves on his line.
The righty also has a 2.8 WAR, which is insane for a bullpen arm that isn’t even your typical closer when everyone is healthy.
That’s why the Yanks will be feeling this loss a bit down the stretch. It also doesn’t help Boone when Aroldis Chapman‘s struggles just can’t seem to go away, as he had another rough outing on Saturday in the loss to the Orioles — losses against bad teams that can’t come for this team right now.
We’ll see what happens with Loaisiga down the road, but in the meantime, the Yanks will have to once again step up for their injured teammates in these areas. That means Chapman, for the Yanks’ sake, figuring it out along with Chad Green and others picking up the slack on the back end.