Yankees’ stud rookie pitcher takes big test post-injury

Jonathan Loaisiga pitches in first professional game since early-July injury sidelined him following impressive major-league debut.

The Yankees could see the return of one of their more talented arms sooner than later.

Right-handed rookie Jonathan Loaisiga pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the Yankees’ Gulf Coast League West team in Tampa on Saturday.

Britton hard on himself

Loaisiga struck out one, walked one and allowed a hit.

The 23-year-old became one of the team’s most improbable success stories when he jumped straight from Double-A Trenton to the majors when he went 2-0 with a 3.0 ERA in four starts.

The Nicaragua-born hurler went on the disabled list July 7 with right shoulder inflammation. He received a cortisone shot and was shut down for several weeks.

“He’s thrown a couple of (bullpen sessions),” Manager Aaron Boone said Friday. “I think he threw sim game a couple of days ago. So he’s probably close to getting back into game action.”

Loaisiga’s emergence jumped him all the way to the team’s No. 3 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Here’s a portion of the website’s scouting report on him:

While Loaisiga is small and skinny, he has surprising power to his three-pitch repertoire. His quick arm repeatedly generates 93-96 mph fastballs that top out at 98 with life down in the strike zone. His low-80s curveball features a high spin rate and his upper-80s changeup has nice fade, albeit with a bit too much velocity at times.

Loaisiga has a clean delivery that he repeats well, allowing him to work the bottom of the strike zone and be stingy with walks. His stuff and control give him a ceiling of a mid-rotation starter, though his size and health history are concerns. He pitched scoreless ball in two of his first three starts with New York but came down with shoulder inflammation after his fourth.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.