Jonathan Loaisiga is on track to deliver the Yankees another boost for their showdown against the Blue Jays, which begins Tuesday in Toronto.
The reliever, who has been on the injured list since Sept. 5 with a strained rotator cuff, is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Sunday, after which he could be cleared to return as the Yankees fight for a wild-card spot in the final week of the regular season.
“Hopefully, if everything goes well with that [session] … then he could potentially be active for the Blue Jays series,” Boone said before the Yankees’ 5-3 comeback win over the Red Sox on Saturday at Fenway Park.
Loaisiga threw his first bullpen session on Friday and it “went well,” Boone said. The manager added the Yankees could decide Loaisiga needs one more session after Sunday’s or that he needs to face live hitters, but if not, he would be available to pitch important innings against the Blue Jays.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon is also expected to return from the IL to make a start at Toronto, meaning the Yankees will likely have to clear two roster spots in the coming days.
While Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and could offer bullpen options over the final week of the season, the imminent returns of Loaisiga and Taillon — plus the recent additions of Luis Severino and Domingo German as relievers — appear to make that unlikely.
“But we also know we have the two guys you mentioned in Schmidt and Luis down there that if we need something, those guys are capable of it,” Boone said.
The Yankees won’t leave any pitchers behind, as a precaution when they travel to Toronto, according to Boone.
There are stricter COVID-19 protocols in Canada, including increased testing. If a player tests positive while in Toronto, the ensuing quarantine would cost them the rest of the regular season and possibly the start of the playoffs if the Yankees make it.
“We’re not, as of now, leaving anyone behind,” he said. “A little bit of concern because there’s obviously more things you gotta do, more boxes to check, more hoops you gotta jump through to make sure we’re good to go up there. We’re trying to get that laid out as best we can. I’m downloading an app that makes things more seamless that all of us are doing. So hopefully we’re as buttoned up as we can be when we go there.
“Obviously everyone’s gotta be tested ahead of time, so we’ll know going into that. But yeah, we’re just trying to cooperate. The organization’s on it, in conjunction with the league and everything, and trying to be as buttoned up as we can about it.”