Jonathan Loaisiga has already returned to injured reserve.
After appearing in three games in the first week of the season, the Yankees relief pitcher landed on the 60-day IL on Friday morning with a strained right flexor muscle.
Dennis Santana was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of Friday’s home opener against the Blue Jays.
Loaisiga will be sidelined until at least June, and although he has been one of the Yankees’ top bullpen arms in recent years, he has been unable to stay healthy.
He missed two IL stints last year due to elbow inflammation, one of which required surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow in May.
Loaisiga, 29, who became a free agent at the end of this season, has also missed playing time with a shoulder problem.
The Yankees had planned to use Loaisiga in a multi-inning role, with several days between each game.
But he pitched two innings on opening day last Thursday, one inning last Sunday, and one inning Wednesday.
He pitched no runs in the fourth inning, but had seven hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.
Without Loaisiga, the Yankees will have to rely more on Ian Hamilton, Caleb Ferguson, and Nick Vardy as setup men before handing the ball off to Clay Holmes.
