Jonathan Loaisiga Shuts Down Rays in Debut

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SteemSports Presenter: @bbleehehh9

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SteemSports Editor: @theprophet0

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If Jonathan Loaisiga was nervous for his big league debut on Friday, you wouldn’t have known it from his poise and demeanor on the mound at Yankee Stadium.

The 23-year-old right-hander was called up from Double-A Trenton to make a spot start for the Yankees against the Rays on Friday and he didn’t disappoint. Loaisiga scattered three hits and four walks, striking out six over five scoreless innings of work.

Loaisiga sounded incredibly grateful for the opportunity after the game, telling reporters through an interpreter, "It has definitely been a tough road to get here, I felt super excited. Getting to your goal, achieving your goal; it's a dream to pitch in the big leagues. Having the opportunity to do that and finally pitch in the big leagues is a dream come true."

Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the club’s 12th best prospect, Loaisiga started to make a name for himself as a command artist in the minor leagues this year, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 58/4 K/BB ratio over 45 innings between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton.

Yankees’ shortstop Didi Gregorius certainly seemed impressed, explaining "He attacked the zone, kept the hitters off balance, and nothing has changed for him… that shows you that he has a plan how to attack guys already. It shows you he has a really big heart and loves the game. He pitched like he was already here."

Given the fact that Loaisiga was filling in for the injured Masahiro Tanaka, and Tanaka is expected to miss around a month’s worth of action, it seems to reason that Loasiga will stick with the club and get another opportunity to stake his claim to a spot in the Yankee’s rotation. He’ll do so on Wednesday at home against the Mariners.

He could be worth a look as a streaming option in deeper mixed leagues, just keep in mind that he’ll (likely) be heading right back to the minors once Masahiro Tanaka (hamstrings) is ready to return.

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