Jonathan Loaisiga is giving the Yankees a nice boost right now, but they want him to be useful in October they need to start limiting his innings.
Most Yankees fans assume Brian Cashman will add at least one starting pitcher to the team’s rotation before the trade deadline. Aaron Boone can’t count on that though. He has to manage his current staff like that’s the group he’ll take into October. That means Boone needs to be very careful with Jonathan Loaisiga’s workload as the season continues.
That’s precisely why the club have sent Loaisiga back down to the minors. Sure, they want him to sharpen up his offspeed stuff, but this is an innings management decision above all else. They want Loaisiga to be fresh for the stretch run.
The Nicaraguan righty has been a big help for the Yankees this season. He hasn’t dominated the opposition, but his ERA of just 3.00 in his four starts in the big leagues certainly exceeds the team’s initial expectations. He’s done enough to stay in the rotation even after Masahiro Tanaka returns from injury.
So far, the Yankees have been pretty careful with Loaisiga. He’s only completed 18 innings of work on the season. Fans hoping to see him pitch deeper into games need to think again. It’s imperative that Boone keep his pitch count as low as possible for as long as possible this season. Giving him too many innings would put his health at serious risk.
The most innings Loaisiga has ever pitched as a professional came last season when he threw 45 innings across a couple of minor league stops. Obviously, the Yankees will expect him to significantly surpass that total. The real question is just how far over his previous high he can safely go. It’s really hard to imagine him going much past the 100 innings pitched mark.
That means Loaisiga can’t stay in the rotation for the full season. It may be tempting for Boone to keep him in there, but it would be irresponsible. Someone like Domingo German is going to have to keep getting regular starts to keep Loaisiga’s overall pitch count down. If Cashman can’t swing a deal, it might even necessitate the call-up of another youngster like Justus Sheffield. No matter who it is, someone has to take Loaisiga’s spot in the rotation quite a few times as October approaches.
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Some day, Jonathan Loaisiga will be capable of handling 200+ innings at the major league level, but it may be several seasons before that happens. His lack of experience combined with his slight frame make it clear the Yankees must exercise extreme caution with him this season. Don’t expect him to take his regular turn in the rotation for the full campaign. The club’s decision to send him down is absolutely the right call.