Yankees’ Jake Cousins hoping to return for playoffs after ‘very encouraging’ MRI exam
Jake Cousins came out of his MRI exam and meeting with team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad unscathed.
The Yankees reliever, who landed on the injured list Sunday with a right pectoral strain, said Tuesday that Monday’s imaging was “very encouraging” and did not reveal anything “scary,” giving him a chance to return by the time the ALDS begins on Oct. 5.
“That’s the goal,” Cousins said Tuesday before the Yankees fell to the Orioles 5-3 in The Bronx.
The plan is for Cousins to take a few more days off from throwing as he focuses on strength exercises before starting to throw again.
Manager Aaron Boone pointed to Thursday as the day that could happen. If all goes well, he could advance to bullpen sessions and facing hitters by next week.
The last time Cousins played catch was on Saturday in Oakland, which is what led the Yankees to decide they needed to put him on the IL to get him right before the postseason.
“[I felt it] enough to where it was kind of going to be similar to the outing in Seattle where I wasn’t going to be able to throw 100 percent,” Cousins said, referring to a six-pitch appearance on Thursday that ended with him walking off the mound with a trainer. “Just made the decision to take things a little slower and make sure I come back full go.”
The timing of the IL stint — retroactive to Friday — was strategic. The first day Cousins can be activated is Game 1 of the ALDS, and the right-hander is an integral part of the late-inning bullpen mix when healthy.
Jasson Dominguez pinch-hit for Anthony Volpe against righty reliever Seranthony Dominguez with one out and a man on first in the bottom of the ninth.
He grounded out to second base.
“Seranthony is a lot tougher against righties,” Boone said. “Taking a shot with JD’s on-base and power presence as the tying run there. Just trying to flip the order over too if I can.”
It marked the second time in the last five games that Volpe has been pinch hit for late against a hard-throwing right-hander.
Clarke Schmidt was solid across 5 ¹/₃ innings, giving up three runs while striking out seven as he vies for a spot in the playoff rotation.
“However they need me, I’ll be ready to go,” said Schmidt, who has experience in relief. “Just to be able to be on the roster and wear this uniform in the playoffs is an honor to me.”
As soon as the Yankees clinch the AL East, a decision awaits on how to handle the five-day layoff next week before the ALDS.
Last year, three of four teams that had first-round byes lost in the ALDS, generating plenty of debate over whether the rest was actually good for teams.
Boone insisted Tuesday afternoon that the Yankees had not yet gotten to that point because they had not yet clinched the division, but would tackle it once they did.
“It’s tournament baseball, so if you can eliminate one of the steps — especially a best-of-three [wild-card series] where anything can absolutely happen — you want to shorten it as much as you can,” Boone said. “Teams have tried everything as far as staying sharp, different tactics. I don’t think there’s one magic answer to it or magic pill.”
Knicks forward Josh Hart — wearing the No. 32 jersey of his great-uncle, Elston Howard — threw out the first pitch before Tuesday’s game after spending time with Giancarlo Stanton, Juan Soto and Anthony Volpe during batting practice.