Yankees reliever Jake Cousins ‘moving toward' needing Tommy John surgery
BOSTON — Since the start of May, the New York Yankees' bullpen has ranked in the bottom 10 in ERA and FIP. One of their key relievers was due back soon and was seen as someone who could help stabilize the group, but that now seems unlikely.
Jake Cousins, who has yet to pitch this season because of a flexor strain, is 'moving toward' needing Tommy John surgery, manager Aaron Boone said Saturday. Cousins was recently on a minor-league rehab assignment working toward making his season debut, but was pulled off of it earlier this week after feeling pain in his elbow. It was his second setback in his rehab this season, after dealing with a pectoral issue in May.
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The loss of Cousins is quite significant for the Yankees. He was one of their better pitchers last season after getting traded from the Chicago White Sox. Cousins had a 2.37 ERA and a 34.2 percent strikeout rate across 38 innings.
If Cousins does need Tommy John surgery, the timing would likely mean it'll also cost him the 2026 season. Cousins, 30, is eligible for the first year of arbitration this offseason. If the Yankees wanted to keep Cousins and have him rehab with the organization, he'll likely make less than $1 million. A potential issue with keeping Cousins through the offseason though is he would take a 40-man roster spot, and the Yankees may need it depending on what they do.
Even before Cousins was diagnosed with a UCL injury, the Yankees still needed to add at least one reliever to their bullpen ahead of next month's trade deadline. That becomes even more important with one of their potential high-leverage relievers likely bound to miss the entirety of the year.
The Yankees' injury news wasn't all bad on Saturday. Boone said designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (double tennis elbow) could make his season debut Monday or Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Los Angeles Angels. Luis Gil (lat strain) is about two weeks away from facing live hitters. He's still several weeks out from making his season debut.
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