Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga headed to IL with right elbow soreness, ending his season
Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga reacts during the seventh inning of a game against the Brewers on Friday at Yankee Stadium. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
BOSTON – Jonathan Loaisiga’s short season is over.
The Yankees reliever was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow soreness before Tuesday’s day-night doubleheader against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Loaisiga, who first went on the IL on April 6 and had surgery in May to remove a bone spur from his elbow, had only returned on Aug. 8.
Manager Aaron Boone said Loaisiga was headed back to New York to get an MRI. It’s the latest setback for the 28-year-old, who has been on the IL in each of the previous two seasons with shoulder issues.
Loaisiga gave the bullpen a boost after he was activated by not allowing an earned run in his first 12 outings. But he gave up five runs in his last two appearances, which could have been a red flag about how he was feeling.
Overall, Loaisiga was 0-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 17 games.
“Elbow,” Boone said. “Just some soreness there. I don’t think a big deal, but enough to want to be cautious with it.”
Boone said that even if Loaisiga checked out OK, there isn’t enough season left for him to return.
Welcome Zach
The Yankees called up righthander Zach McAllister from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
McAllister, 35, made his first big-league appearance since 2018 when he tossed a scoreless inning-plus in the Yankees' 4-1 win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader sweep.
McAllister was a third-round draft pick of the Yankees in 2006. Most of his big-league experience came with Cleveland. The Yankees signed McAllister to a minor league contract on Aug. 8.
Righthander Matt Bowman, who the Yankees called up on Sunday, made his first big-league appearance since 2019 with a scoreless inning in Game 2.
Bowman, 32, pitched for St. Louis from 2016-18 and Cincinnati in 2019.
Anthony Rizzo (post-concussion syndrome) was moved to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster for McAllister.
The Yankees also claimed righthander Luke Weaver off waivers from Seattle and moved Nestor Cortes (rotator cuff strain) to the 60-day IL to make room.
Weaver, 30, was 2-5 with a 6.77 ERA in 26 games (22 starts) for Seattle and Cincinnati this season.
Higgy’s busy day
Kyle Higashioka went 3-for-4 in the Yankees’ 3-2 victory in Game 1.
Higashioka’s biggest moment, though, may have come when he had to quickly jump out of the way of a screaming Aaron Judge liner when he was a baserunner in foul territory at third base in the sixth inning.
“I think that was one of the first times that I’ve really had to dodge a line drive when I was at third,” he said. “I got a little scared for a second.”
Higashioka, who has lost playing time since the Yankees called up rookie catcher Austin Wells, had his first career walk-off hit on Sunday. The 33-year-old Higashioka doesn’t know what the future holds with the Yankees having four catchers under contract going into 2024 (including Ben Rortvedt and the injured Jose Trevino).
“It’s out of my control,” Higashioka said. “I don’t become a free agent for, like, two years, so I’m under control.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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