New York Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn UCL, he announced on Saturday.
The expected recovery time is 10-12 months.
Pain in Loaisiga’s arm surfaced at the end of his perfect ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday and he underwent an MRI on Thursday.
“It was a couple pitches before he finished his outing the other day,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday. “He, at the time, didn’t really think it was that big a deal. Finished that inning, said something and then after the game even getting with him, I don’t think he was too concerned about it. But, obviously, it is concerning.”
Loaisiga, 29, spent most of 2023 on the injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow in May. He returned in August, finishing the season with just 17 appearances. He also missed time in 2022 with shoulder inflammation.
Right-hander Dennis Santana was called up to replace Loaisiga on the roster. Santana, 27, broke into the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018. He appeared in nine games for the New York Mets last season, posting a 5.91 ERA across 10⅔ innings.
Loaisiga is the latest key Yankees contributor to go down with injury; Gerrit Cole (elbow) and DJ LeMahieu (foot) are also on the injured list. Cole isn’t expected to return before June while LeMahieu could rejoin the club by the end of the month.
ESPN’s Jorge Castillo contributed to this story.