NEW YORK -- The Yankees placed reliever Jonathan Loáisiga on the 60-day injured list with a right flexor strain before their home opener Friday.
Manager Aaron Boone said Loáisiga underwent an MRI on Thursday night that revealed a "significant forearm strain." He added the club will consult with doctors on the next steps for treatment.
It is a major blow for a bullpen with the fourth-lowest ERA (1.27) in the majors through the first week of the season. Loáisiga, 29, pitched in three of the Yankees' first seven games and logged four scoreless innings, striking out three batters and issuing one walk.
Loáisiga pitched a perfect ninth inning in Wednesday's 6-5, 11-inning win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"It was a couple pitches before he finished his outing the other day," Boone said. "He at the time didn't really think it was that big a deal. Finished that inning, said something and then after the game even getting with him, I don't think he was too concerned about it. But obviously it is concerning, so we'll see what we have now over the days and weeks and where we go from here."
Loáisiga, a hard-throwing right-hander, dealt with arm trouble last season, appearing in just 17 games because of elbow inflammation and bone spurs in his elbow. He also missed time in 2022 with shoulder inflammation.
Boone said he didn't know if the previous elbow issue was related to Loáisiga's current situation.
Right-hander Dennis Santana was called up to take Loáisiga's place on the roster. Santana, 27, broke into the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018. He appeared in nine games for the New York Mets last season, posting a 5.91 ERA across 10⅔ innings.
"He was one of the guys that I was really excited about really since the first bullpen I saw him throw ... before spring training started," Boone said. "He put together a really good spring. [He's] somebody we're very excited about."