Jake Cousins exits Yankees outing after velocity dip in potential injury scare

SEATTLE — Just as the Yankees were feeling good about their overall health, Jake Cousins walked off the mound with a trainer in the sixth inning on Thursday afternoon.Cousins had only thrown six pitches — the last one a slider that struck out Julio Rodriguez — when Aaron Boone and a trainer popped out of the dugout to visit him on the mound.There were no outward signs of injury — aside from his velocity being down across the board — but after a brief conversation, Cousins left the game with a trainer.In his first appearance since Sunday, Cousins’ first two pitches Thursday were concerning.

He threw a 90.4 mph sinker (down from his season average of 95.1) and then plunked Josh Rojas with a 91.8 mph fastball (down from his season average of 94.9).Cousins then threw four sliders to Rodriguez to strike him out, but they averaged 80.9 mph, down from his season average of 82.1.At a time when the Yankees are mixing and matching in the late inning without a set closer, Cousins has emerged as a valuable high-leverage arm.He carried a 2.39 ERA into Thursday, with 52 strikeouts in 37 ⅔ innings.Lefty Tim Hill entered from the bullpen to replace Cousins, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and spent time on the injured list at Triple-A earlier this year with forearm inflammation....