Aaron Boone was excited for the return of Jonathan Loaisiga from the injured list on Thursday, confident he would pitch again as he did in 2021, when he was one of the better relievers in baseball.
Perhaps he’ll get there, but his first game back was a step in the wrong direction.
Loaisiga entered in the eighth inning of a tied game, which quickly became untied as the Reds jumped on him for three runs before they beat the Yankees 7-6 in 10 innings at the Stadium.
Coming off a seven-week stay on the IL for right shoulder inflammation, Loaisiga gave up four singles in two-thirds of an inning, turning a 1-1 score into a 4-1 deficit.
“Physically [I feel] really good,” Loaisiga said through an interpreter. “Unfortunately, don’t feel too good that things didn’t work out the way I wanted. … Just looking forward to the next outing.”
Boone expressed some regret over leaving Loaisiga in as long as he did.
The score was still 2-1 with two outs and runners on second and third — and Albert Abreu was ready in the bullpen — when Kyle Farmer roped a two-run single off Loaisiga.
“I probably should have got him [before the Farmer at-bat], just as much as he had to work in the inning,” Boone said. “But I thought he threw the ball well.”
Loaisiga had been ineffective before landing on the IL, posting a 7.02 ERA across 16 ²/₃ innings, but Boone was confident he could turn it around.
“I think Lo’s a stud and that’s my expectation of what he’s going to be,” Boone said before the game. “I think he’s going to be a critical part of our bullpen. … Last year he put together one of the best years of any reliever in the game and that’s who we think he is.”