The New York Yankees placed reliever Jonathan Loáisiga on the injured list—again—just hours before Sunday’s series finale against the Miami Marlins. The official diagnosis? “Right mid-back tightness.” The unofficial one? Same old story.
Loáisiga’s career has become a string of flashes interrupted by frustration. And yet, despite the clear warning signs—his rising hard-hit rate, declining velocity, and a medical chart thicker than a media guide—the Yankees remain unwilling to move on. It’s a loyalty that’s admirable, but increasingly risky.
The Warning Signs Are Hard to Miss
Since debuting in 2018, Loáisiga has tantalized the Yankees with elite-level stuff and flashes of brilliance. His 2021 season was arguably one of the best by a Yankees reliever in recent memory: 70.2 innings, a 2.17 ERA, and just three home runs allowed all season. That version of Loáisiga—dominant sinker, sharp curve, ground-ball machine—looked like a future closer.
But those stretches have been the exception, not the norm. His 2025 campaign? A mixed bag at best. Through 30 appearances, Loáisiga owns a 4.25 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 29.2 innings, allowing 34 hits and seven home runs. Statcast paints a troubling picture: his hard-hit rate (35.4%) is up, his average exit velocity (86.6 mph) has climbed from last year, and his sinker—his bread and butter—is getting barreled more often.
More concerning: his pitch arsenal isn’t fooling hitters like it once did. Batters are slugging .500 off his sinker, and while his changeup and curveball have remained effective in short spurts, he’s lacked consistency. His cutter, used just 3.6% of the time, might be his most statistically sound offering (.000 BAA), but it’s not a weapon he or the team fully trusts.
His underlying trends also show erosion. Loáisiga’s whiff rate has dropped from a career-high 30.6% in 2018 to 26.5% this season, and his strikeout rate is just 18.5%, and his walk rate is up to 7.4%—his worst mark since 2019. And while his stuff still pops on radar guns, the vertical movement and deception have faded, especially on his fastball and sinker.
Loyalty or Blind Spot?
The Yankees’ attachment to Loáisiga goes beyond raw numbers. He’s been in the organization for nearly a decade, a product of their international scouting efforts. When healthy, he brings something few other relievers in the system do: late-inning upside with a ground-ball profile that plays in any park.
Manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman have often defended Loáisiga in public, even as his availability continues to drop. And this latest IL stint is just the latest chapter in a long-running saga. Loáisiga has now appeared in just 50 total games over the last three seasons combined. At age 30, he’s no longer the high-upside kid—he’s a veteran with chronic durability issues.
Yet, the Yankees didn’t move him at the deadline. They didn’t dangle him as a throw-in for pitching upgrades or depth moves. They doubled down. And that tells you everything about how they still view him.
With Luis Gil rejoining the rotation after his lengthy rehab and the bullpen in flux due to other injuries and new faces, the Yankees needed Loáisiga to be a stabilizing force. Instead, he’s sidelined again. It’s not just unfortunate timing—it’s a pattern.
The numbers show what the eyes confirm: Loáisiga is no longer the shutdown reliever of 2021. His sinker still averages 96.8 mph, but it lacks the late movement it once had. That drop in deception has made him more hittable, especially by lefties slugging .431 off him this season.
Still, the Yankees hold out hope. Maybe it’s sentiment. Maybe it’s desperation. Or perhaps they genuinely believe that a healthy Loáisiga in October is still worth the gamble.
However, at this point, the warning signs are no longer subtle. They’re sirens. And ignoring them might cost New York more than just a roster spot—it could cost them leverage in tight games when it matters most.
Yankees Refuse to Quit on Pitcher, Despite Alarming Decline