Yankees pitcher suffers 'concerning' setback during rehab assignment

Aaliyan Mohammed

Yankees pitcher suffers 'concerning' setback during rehab assignment image

The New York Yankees have maintained one of the best records in baseball despite some key injuries. However, the team cannot seem to catch a break on that front.

The Yankees placed Jake Cousins on the 60-day injured list on March 27. He started a rehab assignment with High-A Hudson Valley on June 3. In his first outing, he retired just one batter, gave up two hits and two earned runs. In his second outing, on June 7, he pitched two scoreless innings and struck out three batters.

While his last outing was encouraging, the veteran right-hander is being pulled from his rehab assignment after feeling something in his elbow, according to the New York Post's Greg Joyce.

"Cousins was undergoing an MRI exam and meeting with team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad on Tuesday to determine what was wrong, but it was a worrying development for the right-hander," wrote Joyce.

"To feel something with the elbow is concerning, but then again, we got to see what we have," manager Aaron Boone told reporters.

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Cousins had a 2.37 ERA in 38 innings of work last season. He emerged as a leverage option for Boone late in the season. He did not have a great postseason, but figured to be a key part of the bullpen this year.

With Luke Weaver hurt and Devin Williams having an off year, Cousins would have been a huge piece for the Yankees to get back. However, he may not factor into the team's plans at all if his injury shuts him down again.

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Aaliyan Mohammed

Aaliyan Mohammed is a sports journalist who graduated from Mississippi State University. He covered MLB prospects for MLB.com. He has also spent time covering the Green Bay Packers as well as college sports in the SEC. His work features interviews with Gilbert Brown, Andre Rison, Mike Leach and multiple MLB executives.