The reliever was on his way back from a right elbow flexor strain, two games into a rehab assignment, but he has now been pulled off of it after feeling “some stuff” in his elbow, manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.
Cousins was undergoing an MRI exam and meeting with team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad on Tuesday to determine what was wrong, but it was a worrying development for the right-hander.
“To feel something with the elbow is concerning, but then again, we got to see what we have,” Boone said.
After emerging as a high-leverage weapon late last season — before and after missing the final week-plus of the regular season with a pec strain — Cousins arrived at spring training in the midst of a shutdown because of the forearm strain.
His comeback hit a snag in May when he dealt with a pec issue after a live batting practice session, but he bounced back to start a rehab assignment on June 3.
Cousins pitched in two rehab games, most recently on Saturday with High-A Hudson Valley, when he threw 25 pitches across two innings while striking out three.
The Yankees’ bullpen is already dealing with one big hit as Luke Weaver is on the IL with a hamstring strain that could keep him out a few more weeks.
Fernando Cruz recently returned from the IL for a shoulder strain, while Jonathan Loáisiga is still trying to settle into a groove after coming back from 2024 elbow surgery last month.