Aaron Boone spoke to reporters before the Yankees’ matchup with the Red Sox, revealing that Jake Cousins is still getting opinions on his UCL injury, but that it’s trending towards Tommy John Surgery.
The right-hander was a key part of their run to the World Series last season, as he became one of the team’s most-reliable relievers both in the summer.
Cousins pitched to a 2.37 ERA across 37 appearances, striking out 34.2% of batters faced, and he opened the season on the injured list.
While rehabbing with the Hudson Valley Renegades, Cousins dealt with elbow pain and was pulled off of the rehab to try and identify the root of the problem.
Imaging revealed a UCL injury, and now Tommy John Surgery seems like the likeliest option, which would knock Cousins out for the entire 2025 season and potentially the entire 2026 campaign as well.
Jake Cousins Facing Crushing Injury News, Yankees’ Bullpen Suffers Another Blow
While he’s still waiting for second opinions on his elbow injury, the odds of a serious UCL injury not resulting in Tommy John Surgery are low.
There are alternative UCL reconstruction surgeries such as the brace method which reduces the rehab time, but no method will salvage his 2025 season.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Jake Cousins went from working his way back to the Yankees’ bullpen to out for the entire season in the span of a week.
All that the Yankees and Jake Cousins can hope for now is a successful operation if he goes under the knife, with a healthy and effective recovery.
More pressure is now placed on GM Brian Cashman to add reinforcements for the bullpen at the deadline.
READ MORE: Yankees close to adding serious firepower back to the lineup
Luke Weaver’s hamstring strain has put even more pressure on the bullpen at the moment, as he was the Yankees’ top reliever in 2025 and their primary closer.
Devin Williams has been brilliant since returning to the closer role in Weaver’s absence which is a massive positive, but the Yankees want both of these dominant arms available at the same time.
Ian Hamilton and Jonathan Loaisiga have looked shakier than usual this season which has further exacerbated the bullpen’s issues, and this is a group that will almost certainly be added to in July.
The Yankees have acquired at least one reliever at the deadline in each of their last four deadlines, so I expect them to do the same this time around.
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