Yankees can turn Jonathan Loaisiga into a dangerous bullpen weapon

Jonathan Loaisiga could be an effective option out of the pen for the Yankees.

The Yankees have given Jonathan Loaisiga plenty of chances to cement his place in their starting rotation, but it just hasn’t worked out. That’s why Aaron Boone is now making the smart move to move Loaisiga into the bullpen.

Boone isn’t completely ruling out the idea that Loiaisga could make a few spot starts this season, but he does admit that he sees the 25-year-old “more as a reliever.” That might be a slight blow to Loaisiga’s ego, but it gives him a great opportunity to make a big impact on his team this season.

The Yankees may have a new weapon out of the bullpen.

The biggest reason why Loaisiga can’t stick as a starter is that he just can’t soak up the innings required. He’s never pitched more than 56 innings in a single season at any level of professional baseball. That’s a far cry from the minimum of 150 innings pitched the Yankees like to see from any of their established starting pitchers.

It’s also clear that Loaisiga struggles to pitch with maximum effort when he’s trying to conserve the energy necessary to thrive as a starter. Conversely, his stuff really plays up when he knows he’s only coming into the game for an inning or two. The extra zip on his fastball and increase on the break of his offspeed stuff can make a big difference in his ability to get major league hitters out on a regular basis.

Loaisiga’s immediate goal should be to solidify himself as one of Boone’s top right-handed options out of the bullpen. He’ll face stiff competition in the form of guys like Adam Ottavino and Chad Green to earn innings. The best-case scenario for Loaisiga this year might be to become the team’s primary long-man out of the bullpen. He should still be stretched out enough to pitch two or three innings at a time.

If Loaisiga can turn that spot in the Yankees bullpen into a plus position it will really improve the team’s chances of dominating the regular season. The organization wants to avoid overworking the starting staff before the postseason arrives. Loaisiga could be a key factor in the team’s ability to accomplish that goal.

Transitioning Loaisiga into the bullpen isn’t an admission of failure by the Yankees. Instead, it’s a subtle transition that will help get the most out of the player as an individual. It also will give the team the most value they can expect from Loaisiga in 2020.