How a frantic 1 a.m. phone call made Jonathan Loaisiga a Yankee

by Felix Pantaleon

The unusual backstory on how the Yankees re-discovered Jonathan Loaisiga, who could be thrust his big-league debut far sooner than expected.

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Yankees international scouting director Donny Rowland had never heard Ricardo Finol this intense.

It was about 1 a.m. and Rowland’s scout was shouting on the other end of the phone all the way in Venezuela.

“You have to sign this guy,” Finol told Rowland. “We have to sign him right now.”

“Give me his background,” Rowland said.

“Forget about his background,” Finol said. “Just tell me yes.”

That was in 2016, after Finol had laid eyes for the very first time on Nicaraguan righty Jonathan Loaisiga (pronounced loh-AYE-see-gah) pitching at a tournament.

Rowland believed in the charged-up Finol, so the next day, the Yankees and Loaisiga had a deal.

Come Friday, Loaisiga could make his big-league debut.

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Loaisiga, 23, appears in the running, along with veteran journeyman David Hale, to make Friday’s start vs. the Rays at Yankee Stadium.

It would be in place of Masahiro Tanaka, who hit the 10-day disabled list Saturday with hamstring strains in both legs and could miss weeks, according to general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone.

Loaisiga is 3-1 with a 4.32 ERA in six starts at Double-A Trenton and he got hit hard for four runs in two innings his last time out. He went 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA at High-A Tampa before getting promoted.

Giving Loaisiga a shot would be a bold move for the Yankees. They would be asking him to jump from Double-A straight to the majors, skipping Triple-A. He’s also only made 35 professional appearances, having dealt with shoulder problems and Tommy John surgery.

“He’s a young guy and he hasn’t pitched a whole lot so we’ll have to see what that decision is when we get to it, who’s doing what in the next few days,” pitching coach Larry Rothschild said.

The 30-year-old Hale, meanwhile, has made 20 big-league starts — none since 2015 with the Rockies — and three major-league relief appearances this season.

But it could also be the smart decision — pitching ability aside.

Loaisiga is already on the Yankees 40-man roster. They put him there in the offseason to protect him from getting snatched in the Rule 5 Draft.

Hale isn’t and would have to be added. That also might not be an issue, though, since the team’s 40-man roster currently hosts just 39 players and it could move Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day DL to clear another spot.

The Yankees were on the verge of promoting Loaisiga last week. The team would have used him in the second game of their doubleheader against the Tigers in Detroit, but they didn’t need an extra starter after two rainouts in Baltimore in the prior series put their starters on their regular rotation.

Rowland watched Loaisiga again in spring training and believed he was already ready to pitch at Double-A without needing to go to High-A. At 5-foot-11 and about 165 pounds, Loaisiga has touched 98 mph with a good curveball and an improving changeup.

He grew up in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, with a population of about 1.5 million. Just 14 Nicaraguans have made the majors leagues, the last being Cheslor Cuthbert of the Royals, who made his debut in 2015.