Yankees: Is Jonathan Loaisiga the best option to replace Tanaka?
Double-A prospect Jonathan Loaisiga is expected to make his big league debut on Friday to replace the injured Masahiro Tanaka in the starting rotation. Can the young gun on the rise be the hero the Yankees need?
The Yankees need for starting pitching has become painfully obvious. Everyone knows the Yankees need to make a move to bolster the rotation. The only question is, how will the team do that?
With the injury to Tanaka, the Yankees’ rotation is now scarily thin. Desperate, the Yankees are giving the 23-year-old youngster from Nicaragua a chance to be the answer for their pitching woes. Loaisiga will take the Yankee Stadium mound for the first time when the Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night.
On paper, the Rays, one of the worst offenses in the American League, are an ideal assignment for a pitcher making his first major-league appearance. Tampa doesn’t score a lot of runs and their lineup is sapped of home run power. It’s not like manager Aaron Boone is tossing Loaisiga to the wolves by pitting him against the Red Sox.
If Loaisiga can give the Yankees some quality innings, he could change the Yankees’ whole season. Rather than destroying the farm system to land an impact starter in a weak market, the Bronx Bombers can strengthen their roster elsewhere. Worst case scenario, Loaisiga pitches adequately, until the rotation gets healthy. Then, he’ll be a reliable insurance policy in case of injuries to the staff down the road.
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Boone gave Loaisiga the call rather than highly-touted prospect Justus Sheffield or veteran David Hale. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN, the Bombers’ rookie manager prefers the young right-hander’s chances to succeed in the Big Apple right now.
"“‘Just getting to know [Loaisiga] a little bit this spring, we don’t think he’ll be overwhelmed pitching here at Yankee Stadium in the big leagues,” Boone said. “We feel like his repertoire, his stuff will allow him to have a chance to be successful for us.'”"
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The New York spotlight is on Loaisiga because fans and analysts alike will expect him to thrive right away. That’s a lot of pressure to put on an untested pitcher. The Yankees can only hope he can take the notorious heat in the torturous New York media and put up a quality start.