NEW YORK -- The Yankees activated right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga from the injured list Friday, giving their bullpen another potential late-inning weapon ahead of the Subway Series against the Mets.
Veteran left-hander Tyler Matzek was designated for assignment to make room on the active roster.
Loáisiga returns just over a year after undergoing elbow reconstruction surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The procedure was not the traditional Tommy John surgery, but one that involved installing an internal brace, which Loáisiga said accelerated his timetable. Tommy John surgery often requires 14 to 16 months of recovery time.
"The doctor, when he operated on me, told me it could be from 12 to 13 months to return," Loáisiga said in Spanish. "And last year, from the first week, I was working. I prepared following the plan the trainers made for me and that's a reason why I'm here making my return."
Loáisiga started throwing off a mound in February. He began a rehab assignment on April 26 and made six appearances across two minor-league levels, giving up one run on three hits with nine strikeouts and no walks across 7 ⅓ innings.
He joins a Yankees bullpen that ranks ninth in the majors in ERA and has stabilized since Luke Weaver replaced Devin Williams as the club's closer. For now, Loáisiga said, the plan is to pitch one-inning outings and not pitch on consecutive days before logging multiple innings and pitching on consecutive days.
"Excited to get him back," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "You guys have heard me talk about him the last few weeks. He's looked really, really good. Really from February, when he was throwing bullpens."
Loáisiga's elbow injury surfaced at an especially inopportune time, with him months from reaching free agency for the first time after an injury-plague 2023 campaign. In all, injuries limited the 30-year-old Nicaragua native to 20 appearances over the last two seasons.
But Loáisiga was a reliable high-octane option for the Yankees during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. He posted a 2.96 ERA in 107 relief appearances in those two seasons with a fastball that averaged 98 mph and ranked in the 97th percentile across the majors in 2022. The potential was enough for the Yankees to give him a one-year, $5 million deal in December with a team option for 2026 after reaching the World Series without him in October.
"This is an exciting time to be back," Loáisiga said. "Exciting series against the Mets. [Juan] Soto coming back to Yankee Stadium. So, I'm very excited to be here and to be part of that."