Yankees activate Jonathan Loaisiga and he pitches perfect inning
Jonathan Loaisiga #43 of the Yankees reacts after the final out the first game of double header against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Credit: Jim McIsaac
TORONTO — A Yankees bullpen that has been one of the best in the sport for the last couple of months got its most consistent arm back Wednesday night.
Jonathan Loaisiga, who had a 2.25 ERA in 54 games this season, was activated from the injured list, where he had been since Sept. 5 with a right shoulder strain.
Pitching to the top of the order in the seventh inning on Wednesday night, Loaisiga looked sharp, striking out George Springer and retiring Marcus Semien and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on grounders in the Yankees' 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays.
Though Loaisiga has shined in pretty much every role in which he has been used, Aaron Boone said he likely won't use the righthander for multiple innings quite yet.
"Probably will be one inning to start and we’ll go from there," Boone said before the game.
Boone didn’t completely dismiss the possibility of using him in multiple innings, nor did he completely dismiss using him in back-to-back outings, though both scenarios are unlikely at the moment.
"If he goes out and has an eight-pitch inning, we’ll see where we’re at moving forward and how he’s responding and how he’s bouncing back," Boone said. "I don’t want to completely rule anything out, but obviously we’ll be a little bit careful with him here as he’s coming back."
As a corresponding roster move, the Yankees optioned struggling lefthander Andrew Heaney, who posted a 7.32 ERA in 12 outings — allowing 13 homers in 35 2/3 innings — since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Angels. Heaney, through his agent, accepted an assignment to the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa, where he will continue to throw.
The Yankees' bullpen has the AL’s best ERA (2.95) since the July 30 trade deadline — and third-lowest in the majors in that stretch — and posted a 0.87 ERA during the seven-game winning streak they brought into Wednesday night. The group’s 3.52 ERA is the fifth-lowest in the sport this season and the second-best in the AL.
Big weekend ahead
The Yankees (90-68) lead the Red Sox (89-69) by one game for the top wild-card spot. They are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners (89-70) and two games ahead of the Blue Jays (88-70).
On Thursday night, the Yankees will play the Blue Jays and the Red Sox will wrap up their series against the Orioles (51-107) in Baltimore. The Mariners are idle.
Beginning Friday, the Yankees will host the Rays (98-60), the Red Sox will face the Nationals (65-94) in Washington, the Blue Jays will host the Orioles and the Mariners will host the Angels (75-83).
At this point, there is the possibility that the teams will finish in a four-way tie for the two wild-card berths at 90, 91 or 92 wins.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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