If you're a Yankees fan who cannot handle Aaron Boone's bullpen decision making, well, your life just got a whole lot worse. New York has been waiting for relief reinforcements, but we can now check one off the list (likely for the remainder of the 2025 season).
Jake Cousins, who has been making his way back from an elbow injury (and then a pectoral issue?), will meet with the team doctor on Tuesday after being pulled off his rehab assignment. Cousins' elbow is still bothering him.
Cousins was on track to return at the end of June, but this takes him out for at least another month, and that's a best-case scenario. He logged 2 1/3 innings with High-A Hudson Valley and allowed two earned runs on four hits, but he still had a long way to go because he didn't pitch at all during spring training.
Whatever the case, recurring elbow issues are no joke, and we can assume he'll be shut down for a decent period of time if the injury isn't season-ending. That should put him out for an additional two months, which would then make everything ... pointless?
Cousins returning in mid-to-late August (again, that's a conservative estimate) wouldn't help the Yankees at all. He'd spend another month getting back up to game speed after missing most of the year, and it's not even a guarantee he'll be anywhere close to his 2024 contributions.
Jake Cousins has been pulled off his rehab assignment after feeling something in his elbow, per Boone. Meeting with Dr. Chris Ahmad today to figure out what’s going on.
Yankees Injury Update: Jake Cousins suffers setback during rehab assignment
The Yankees have been waiting on a combination of Cousins, JT Brubaker and Luis Gil to come back and provide support for the second half of the season. Don't forget about Clayton Beeter, too, who was supposed to help in the first half but has been dealing with shoulder issues.
All that means is the trade deadline is going to have to be a bit more active for Brian Cashman this season. It's not what he prefers, but it's just what has to be. This current unit will wither away in the first round of the playoffs, without question.
Cousins wasn't expected to be a premier high-leverage option for the Yankees, but his 2.37 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 38 innings last season was a massive help. In a perfect world, he would have been an above-average option in the bridge to Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.
But Yankees fans are all too familiar with these types of injury situations, and we can't say there's much optimism about Cousins taking the mound in 2025.
