Jonathan Loaisiga to undergo season-ending surgery in Yankees crusher
The Yankees will be without one of their most important bullpen arms for the remainder of 2024.
Key setup man Jonathan Loaisiga said Saturday through a translator that he will undergo surgery to repair what he termed a torn UCL in his right arm.
It has not yet been determined if it will be a Tommy John procedure, Loaisiga added, but his recovery time frame is expected to be 10-12 months, meaning he may or may not be ready to pitch again in spring training of next year.
The valuable reliever had been placed on the 60-day injured list Friday with what manager Aaron Boone had described as a “significant forearm strain” and the team officially had termed a right flexor strain.
“Obviously, it’s tough news. The first thought is just for him, you feel for him,” Boone said before the Yankees’ 9-8 win over the Blue Jays. “He’s been throwing the ball so well. He’s dealt with some things over the last years that I think added up to this point.
“I know they’re still collecting some opinions to make sure. … But it’s just somebody else needing to emerge and step up and become an important role, and hopefully we can pick him up.”
After feeling discomfort in his elbow in his last appearance Wednesday in Arizona, Loaisiga underwent an MRI exam Thursday night and met with doctors Friday.
He said the surgery will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister, but added the exact date has yet to be determined.
“It’s very frustrating,” Loaisiga said. “I’m going to end up losing the rest of the season. It’s a tough moment to deal with.
“At the same time, there’s a will inside. I want to be out there pitching. You have to use that as motivation and rely on that to carry you in a moment like this.”
Loaisiga was limited to 17 appearances last season due to two IL stints for elbow inflammation, including one that required surgery in May to remove bone spurs.
The pending free agent had pitched four scoreless innings over three appearances this season.
“It’s kind of been pretty much something every year that either has tripped him up for a short period of time or sometimes longer,” Boone said. “Hopefully whatever road he goes down here it’s something that serves him well moving forward in his career, because he is a really good pitcher.”