NEW YORK -- After making his first four Major League starts in the absence of an injured Masahiro Tanaka, Jonathan Loaisiga was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following the Yankees' 5-3, 11-inning loss to the Braves on Monday night.
The right-hander threw 92 pitches in just four innings, allowing three runs on five hits, which included his first home run allowed -- to Johan Camargo in the third inning.
"I thought he threw the ball OK. Just, again, having a hard time putting guys away," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "They fouled off a lot of pitches against him, ran his pitch count up pretty high, so he just had a hard time putting guys away when he had the opportunity."
Despite a shaky start Monday, Loaisiga (2-0, 3.00 ERA) had two solid outings in his short time in the Majors. He made his Major League debut on June 15, blanking the Rays through five innings. Two starts later, the righty carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and recorded a career-high eight strikeouts in Philadelphia.

"That kid who started tonight has really good stuff," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "I thought we did a really good job of grinding through some at-bats. I watched his game against the Phillies the other day. That kid is something else."
• Loaisiga ranked No. 12 among Yankees prospects
Although Tanaka is expected to return to the Yankees' rotation for the Baltimore series next week, Yankees fans have not seen the last of Loaisiga. Boone said it's likely that the young hurler will get the call to pitch in one of the doubleheader games against the Orioles on Monday.
"It's hard to say," Loaisiga said, when asked if he was surprised to be getting optioned. "You never know, but, to me, it's seeing the good side of that and coming back soon. … I want to work on the sharpness of my breaking pitches. I want that back so that I am able to put away guys."

The team activated A.J. Cole from the disabled list prior to Tuesday's contest. After using five relievers Monday night, adding Cole to the bullpen may prove a necessity for New York in game two against Atlanta.
"We'll have to be cautious a little bit tomorrow," Boone said. "But with Cole coming back -- between Cole and [David Hale] -- we feel like we're covered from a length situation, with both of those guys able to give us pretty good length."
Despite the demotion, Loaisiga is pleased with his first experience in the big leagues. Before getting the call, the right-hander had made it as high as Double-A, where he was 3-1 with a 4.32 ERA in six starts.
"I think I did a good job," Loaisiga said. "I helped the team win two games. It was a beautiful experience for me and a learning process. Now I just want to focus and try to get back as soon as possible to help the team."