Yankees prospect Jonathan Loaisiga could be next man up

Yankees prospect Jonathan Loaisiga was rumored to get a spot start in Sunday’s doubleheader before yet, another rain out. Following his dominant outing for Trenton on Tuesday, it’s only a matter of time before his promotion.

Yankees right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga isn’t your typical starting pitching prospect. Despite signing with the Giants out of Nicaragua back in 2013, the 23-year-old has only tossed 146.2 career innings.

Soon after signing with the Yanks in 2016, he underwent Tommy John surgery but rebounded last June to pitch 32.2 innings across three different levels.

The organization was impressed enough to place Loaisiga on the 40-man roster this past offseason, and he has done nothing but reward them for their extreme foresight.

On Tuesday, Loaisiga pitched for the first time in nine days leading many to believe he was slated for a spot start versus the Orioles last Sunday. The eventual rainout pushed back Domingo German’s scheduled start, meaning the Yankees needed only two starters instead of three in two days time.

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Trenton Thunder manager Jay Bell explained to Trentonian.com what transpired.

“We were just giving him a little bit more time off, but there was a potential of some movement (in the system) there,” manager Jay Bell said. “You can read between the lines.”

Back on the mound against Richmond, the Yankees No. 12 prospect picked up right where he left off, throwing five innings of one hit, one run ball while striking out eight.

Though Loaisiga missed two weeks with a blister last month, he is now 6-0 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.093 WHIP and a 54:4 K:BB ratio across 43 innings, split across High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. 

In nine starts this season, the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder has been consistently clocked between 93-96 mph with his fastball (and as high as 98 mph). He also features a big league ready low-80s curveball with an “Astros-like” spin rate and an upper 80s changeup.

All this is wrapped up in a smooth, repeatable delivery that should allow Loaisiga to avoid future injury problems. Think, young Tim Lincecum.

With No. 5 starter Domingo German now winless in his last five starts (0-3, 5.29 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in his past seven appearances) the Yankees will need to keep other rotation options open until German develops or GM Brian Cashman pulls off a trade for a starter before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

With top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield struggling since his promotion to Triple-A Scranton (0-2, 3.80 ERA and 19:12 K:BB ratio in 21.1 innings pitched), should the need arise, the next man up could very well be Loaisiga.

Next: Yanks being linked to Padres reliever Brad Hand

I understand he’s still only pitching to Double-A competition, but it’s apparent the big league club was going to give him a taste of the show. With all of his minor league options remaining, the Yankees can be aggressive with their older, yet less experienced prospect.

Having Jonny Lasagna (an inevitable nickname once he reaches New York) succeed sooner or later in the majors makes much more sense than calling up David Hale again.