The good vibes from Friday night’s shutout victory in Houston could seemingly only last so long. Jonathan Loaisiga played a part in that, as he retired the Astros in order in the ninth to secure the 4-0 victory.
The Yankees won’t have Loaisiga on Saturday night, nor will they have utilityman Miguel Andújar. The former is going to the injured list per COVID-19 healthy and safety protocols, and the latter is on the shelf with a left wrist sprain. Loaisiga was described as “day-to-day,” and in a pregame press conference, manager Aaron Boone did note that the breakout reliever is “feeling good,” so ideally, this is just a precautionary measure under the protocols and he will be back with the team soon.
Andújar on the other hand has not played since July 7th, and he’s been dealing with soreness for a few days. Thus, the Yankees will at least be able to backdate the start of his IL stint, and if he progresses well, he will be eligible to return at the end of the Yankees’ post-All-Star break series against the Red Sox.
To fill Loaisiga and Andújar’s roster spots, the Yankees are bulking up on relievers for the final two days of the first half in Houston. Albert Abreu (who is decent) is back, as is Brooks Kriske (who is not). Lucas Luetge and Chad Green both saw action during last night’s win, and the Astros’ offense is pretty potent, so it’s not a bad idea to have more backup for Gerrit Cole tonight and Jameson Taillon tomorrow at the expense of a position player on the bench. It would, of course, be better for our collective blood pressure if Kriske is not a part of any close games, but we’ll see.
