Yankees' 2.37 ERA pitcher facing Tommy John surgery with bad injury

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Billy Heyen
Yankees' 2.37 ERA pitcher facing Tommy John surgery with bad injury image

The New York Yankees have dealt with plenty of unfortunate pitching injuries this season.

One of their most talented bullpen arms looks like he won't even pitch in an MLB game before going under the knife.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed to reporters on Saturday that Jake Cousins is facing the prospect of Tommy John surgery to repair a damaged UCL in his throwing elbow.

"Jake Cousins is still waiting on opinions, but Aaron Boone said it is trending toward Tommy John surgery," MLB.com's Bryan Hoch wrote on X.

The Yankees had recently sent Cousins out on a rehab assignment, but the elbow isn't cooperating.

The 2024 season was Cousins' first with the Yankees and he was awesome. He had a 2.37 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 38.0 innings.

Before that, Cousins had pitched three solid seasons for the Brewers.

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Cousins, who will turn 31 in July, was expected to be a solid piece in the bullpen in front of Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.

Now, if he does indeed need this surgery, Cousins likely wouldn't be available until the second half of the 2026 season.

It's a tough break for a guy who had really started to establish himself at the MLB level.

It's also a tough break for the Yankees, who may have to pursue bullpen help at the trade deadline now that they won't be getting Cousins back on the mound this season.

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