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The New York Yankees announced earlier this week that Jake Cousins would hit the injured list due to a right pectoral strain, ending his regular season. After a visit with Dr. Christopher Ahmad, imaging revealed no significant damage to the muscle, as Jake Cousins will target October 5th for a potential return. The reason he’s targeting that date? It would be Game 1 of the American League Division Series, where the Yankees are all but certain to play their first playoff game thanks to their six-game advantage in the American League East.

With a chance to clinch tonight, Jake Cousins will hope to re-join the team for the postseason and make a formidable pitching staff even stronger.

Jake Cousins Avoids Serious Injury, Hopes to Return For Yankees’ Playoff Run

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On September 22nd the Yankees announced that Jake Cousins would be placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right pectoral strain, and while it was unfortuante it wasn’t very surprising either. The right-hander was pulled from an outing against the Mariners in Seattle due to right pectoral tightness, topping out at 92 MPH on his fastball when he regularly averages between 94-96 MPH on his sinker.

The right-hander had been dealing with some tightness there and had tried to pitch through it, but he looked out of sorts in the month of September. A 4.50 ERA and 27.6% walk rate were indications that he had not been rebounding well between outings, as while Cousins has some walk issues, he looked all over the place. On the season he had a 2.37 ERA with a 21.3% K-BB%, becoming one of Aaron Boone’s most trusted weapons despite being a late addition.

Acquired in exchange for cash considerations from the White Sox, the Yankees got a steal in Jake Cousins, who could be a criticial piece for a potential playoff run.

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If he returns for the first game of the ALDS, it gives the Yankees a pretty stacked bullpen all things considered, as Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle, Tim Hill, and Ian Hamilton have all been lights out lately. The Yankees could also move some of their starters to the bullpen, as they have with Marcus Stroman. Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, and Nestor Cortes are all candidates for bullpen roles if they don’t get the nod in a short-series matchup.

The Yankees play tonight against the Orioles with the aforementioned Schmidt getting the ball, as not only will New York look to clinch the AL East, but they’ll also hope to get closer to snagging the top seed in the AL.