Morne Morkel announced that he was reluctantly returning to South Africa because of injury after just one game in Yorkshire colours.
The pace bowler, signed as an early season overseas replacement for Rana Naved, picked up a hamstring strain during last week's LV County Championship match against Nottinghamshire.
And that proved to be his solitary appearance as the injury kept him out of the Bank Holiday Monday Friends Provident Trophy win over Durham and has now forced him to return home to rehabilitate ahead of South Africa's tour of England in the second half of the summer.
Rana Naved is due to join the squad later this month so on the face of it, the departure of Morkel is not a huge blow as the ranks will only be depleted for a short time.
However, in the wake of the criticism the club faced when Inzamam-ul-Haq became a short term capture at the end of last season, there is bound to be some disquiet among Tykes fans over Morkel's all too brief Headingley sojourn.
With Navad on his way and South Africans Jacques Rudolph and Deon Kruis already in the squad, there is a feeling among some supporters that home grown talent is being stifled, a belief exacerbated when overseas men are brought in for an apparent 'quick fix.'
But the Tykes are not doing anything their rival counties are not also engaged in, as a look across the Pennines will vividly illustrate.
Lancashire have former Walsden professional Francois du Plessis now in their ranks, and when Brad Hodge announced his temporary defection to the Indian Premier League, they were quick enough to draft in Pakistani ace Mohammed Yousof as replacement.
And a glance at one of Yorkshire's other neighbours reveals a similar story with Derbyshire having signed up Charl Langeveldt to join fellow South Africans Dominic Telo and Greg Smith along with Australian Chris Rogers.
Okay, so Derbyshire have nowhere near the depth of talent or the number of clubs Yorkshire can call on, but it is clear all the counties see overseas talent as vital both for success on the field and to draw the crowds.
The White Rose men's Director of Professional Cricket Martyn Moxon has always refuted claims that overseas men are stifling local talent, and indeed said this week that the departure of Morkel offers a window of opportunity for the county's young seamers to show their worth.
"We have a strong squad and as Rana Naved will be unable to be registered as a Yorkshire player before May 19 there is now a chance for one of our other seamers to grab an unexpected first team opportunity," he said.
That's an open invitation to the likes of Oliver Hannon-Dalby or Ben Sanderson, who have already caught the eye in the opening second XI games.
Even if they do make an appearance, it will take something exceptional to hold their place as the Tykes have a big enough squad to dispense with the need to throw youngsters in at the deep end for an extended period.
But there's a golden opportunity to put down a marker for the future, so let's hope maybe the Halifax-born Hannon-Dalby can take it.