Yankees put Jonathan Loaisiga on 60-day IL

The Yankees took things slowly in spring training with Jonathan Loaisiga, the hard-throwing, effective-when-he's-healthy reliever.

 After throwing hard in spring training, Loaisiga regularly hit 98 mph in his first three regular-season outings, with no runs allowed in four innings.

Ultimately, however, the kid-gloves treatment in  spring training didn’t matter. Hours before the Yankees’ home opener, Loaisiga was placed on the 60-day injured list Friday morning with what the club called a right flexor strain.

“Obviously, it is concerning,” said Aaron Boone, who added that   Loaisiga first felt something in his arm Wednesday in Arizona, when he struck out one in the ninth inning of the Yankees' 6-5, 11-inning victory.

“It was a couple of pitches before he finished his outing,” Boone said. “He at the time didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Finished that inning, said something, and then after the game even getting with him, I don’t think he was too concerned about it . . . We’ll see what we have now in the days and weeks [ahead].”

Righthander Dennis Santana, whose arm gave the club plenty of excitement in  spring training, was signed to a major-league contract and added to the active roster.

Santana’s performance last month nearly nabbed him a roster spot coming out of camp and put him on the radar for just the kind of situation that arose with the Loaisiga injury.

“He was one of the guys I was really excited about, really since the first bullpen I saw him throw at Himes before spring training,” Boone said of the club’s minor-league complex, located on Himes Avenue, about a mile from Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. “Put together a really good spring. Somebody we’re very excited about.

"Those of you that cover us daily and all spring I think got a feel that, for me, I absolutely believe and knew he was going to play a big role for us this season. The time has come to bring him here. I’m excited about what he brings. He fit in really well in the spring, as well as has an arsenal I think is going to allow him to be successful.”

Santana came on with two outs in the seventh inning and a runner on first Friday and got George Springer to line to Aaron Judge in center. After a scoreless eighth in which he walked a batter and struck out one, Santana retired the first batter of the ninth before allowing back-to-back singles by Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho. Then righthander Nick Burdi, a non-roster invitee whose electric performance in spring training earned him a spot leaving camp, threw three wild pitches and  both inherited runners scored.

“A little wild coming in,” Boone said of Burdi, who struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and got Bo Bichette to line out to strand runners at second and third. “Good to see him settle in and finish off the inning.”

Extra bases

Anthony Volpe’s hot start continued as the second-year shortstop went 2-for-4. Volpe  is 11-for-26 (.423) with an 1.154 OPS in seven games . . . Gleyber Torres, again hitting leadoff with DJ LeMahieu hurt, went 1-for-4 and has reached base in each of his first eight games.