Yankees' Key Reliever Leaves Game With Injury

The Yankees' bullpen may have suffered a concerning loss.

Sep 9, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Jake Cousins (61) follows through on a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The last thing the New York Yankees need to deal with are injuries, especially just before the postseason rolls around.

Unfortunately, the Bronx Bombers may have lost one of their underrated bullpen arms, as right-hander Jake Cousins lasted just two batters in Thursday's game against the Seattle Mariners before being taken out.

Cousins replaced starter Clarke Schmidt in the bottom of the sixth inning and plunked Josh Rojas with his second pitch. He then struck out Julio Rodriguez, but manager Aaron Boone and the team's training staff were summoned to the mound; after a brief discussion, Cousins departed with a trainer and lefty Tim Hill replaced him. Two innings later, the Yankees announced that the 30-year-old was dealing with right pec tightness.

Jake Cousins just left the game with an apparent injury after striking out Julio Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/0uMTQZduce

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 19, 2024

The Yankees announce that Jake Cousins exited the game with right pec tightness.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 19, 2024

Although he only threw six pitches, Cousins' velocity was noticeably lacking despite being a breaking ball specialist. His sinker reached just 90.4 mph when it averaged 95.1 mph during the season, while his four-seam fastball topped out at 91.8 mph when it usually reaches 94.9 mph.

Additional context was added by beat reporter Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, who mentioned that Cousins had his throwing arm and shoulder wrapped "pretty good" during yesterday's game; Cousins also hadn't pitched since Sunday before his injury-shortened appearance on Thursday.

We'll see what the injury is, but noticed Jake Cousins had his shoulder/arm wrapped up pretty good pregame yesterday. He hadn't pitched since an 11-pitch outing on Sept. 15.

His velo was down today, though he only threw 6 pitches. #Yankees https://t.co/Nft4MY9bpY

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) September 19, 2024

If Cousins' pec injury is serious, it would be a devastating blow to the Yankees' bullpen. Since being called up from the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on June 27, the righty had been excellent with a 2.34 ERA and 48 strikeouts against 17 walks in 34.2 innings pitched. He would gradually climb up the team's trust tree and see more high-leverage appearances, before becoming a key setup man.

New York's bullpen has dealt with consistency issues all year, to the point that they no longer have a designated closer; if they lose Cousins for an extended period of time, it won't bode well for their hopes in October.