Luis Severino

Yankees: Is Luis Severino in danger of missing the season?

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

The New York Yankees have been quite secretive with Luis Severino’s health over the last couple of days. The pitcher, who hasn’t thrown relevant innings since 2018 because of a myriad of injuries, reported last week before a rehab start that he ‘didn’t feel quite right’, and ended up being shut down, at least until we get some clarity.

The Yankees have to be wondering whether their prized right-hander will miss the remainder of the season at this point. He underwent Tommy John surgery last spring, and was supposed to return in August or September before his latest setback.

The Yankees reportedly have the results on the MRI taken Monday on the pitcher, whose rehab start last Friday night was called off due to shoulder tightness.

Nobody but the Yankees know exactly what’s going on with the former ace, but they don’t want to divulge before getting more opinions.

The media asked Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone last night, whether or not they had an update on Severino. He replied: “Yes, but it’s been sent out for a second opinion, so until we have that second opinion, which hopefully we have over the next 24-to-48 hours …”

The Yankees are waiting for more opinions

According to Boone, Severino “won’t throw this week, but let’s wait and get all of the opinions in.”

Sevy was close to making a return in June but strained his groin and had to miss over a month. He was, again, close to getting back to the Yankees before last Friday.

Given the fact that it’s his shoulder, any minor setback has the potential of knocking the pitcher out for the remainder of the season, which is obviously a big blow to the Yankees.

Per NJ Advance Media, when the press asked Boone if Severino’s season is in jeopardy, he responded, “No. I mean, I’m not ready to go there at all yet.”

 

Do you think Severino will throw a pitch in a Yankees’ uniform this year?

Yankees: Luis Severino pulls himself out of rehab assignment, more disappointing injury news

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

The New York Yankees are patiently waiting for more starting pitching support, with several players finding their way back from injury and the COVID-19 list.

The expectation is that Jordan Montgomery and Gerrit Cole will return to the team in the next few days, a Corey Kluber and Luis Severino are still a few weeks away from making a return to the majors. Severino, who hasn’t pitched a meaningful game since 2019, suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery. The injury he picked up was completely irrelevant to his elbow, pulling a groin during a minor-league outing.

However, Severino is still dealing with issues, as he pulled himself from a rehab assignment on Saturday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

“He just was down there warming up and didn’t feel right and didn’t feel like he was going to be able to go out there and pitch the way he wanted to, so he just stopped his warmups and told (manager of pitch development) Desi (Druschel) he just wasn’t able to go out there and pitch tonight,” RailRiders manager Doug Davis said.

Severino is dealing with an unknown issue, but the expectation is that he will return to New York to get further testing. The problem doesn’t seem to be too serious, but Severino has dealt with multiple injuries over the past few seasons, so taking extra precaution is a necessity.
The Yankees are desperate for more support in the starting rotation, and Severino failing to make a successful comeback could haunt them during the postseason. Nonetheless, there’s no guarantee he will ever return to the form he produced in 2017 when he hosted at 2.98 ERA and 10.71 strikeouts per nine. The days of him being a potentially elite force on the mound are behind him. He’s simply looking to salvage the remainder of his career in pinstripes.

New York Yankees: All the news plus two more with the White Sox

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

Thursday night, the long-awaited Field of Dreams game took place in Dyersville, Iowa. The New York Yankees faced the Chicago White Sox in that epic game. I predicted that the Yankees would lose that game because both the pitching and lineup stats comparison said so. What I didn’t predict was that it would be a ninth-inning heartbreaking loss.

Nevertheless, disregarding the outcome, it was a wonderful game in a beautiful iconic setting in the cornfields of Iowa that will not be soon forgotten by any of the players who played in it or those in the stands or watching television. The Yankees still have two more games against the White Sox that will be played on the south side of Chicago.

Preview of two more with the White Sox

The New York Yankees may have lost the Field of Dreams game but still have a chance to take the series from the Chicago White Sox with the remaining two games at Guaranteed Field over the weekend.

Tonight, August 14, 7:10 pm:

Tonight in Chicago, James Taillon will take the mound for the Yankees vs. the White Sox Dylan Cease. Taillon is 7-4 ERA 3.82; Cease is 9-6 ERA 3.99 with an impressing 159 strikeouts.  Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Luke Voit have all hit well off Cease when they faced him earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Cesar Hernandez has Taillon’s number hitting .571 off him in seven at-bats. Tonight’s game will be on the YES Network and NBCSCH.

Sunday, August 15, 2:10 pm:

Sunday will see Nestor Cortes Jr.0-1 ERA 2.40, on the mound for the Yankees, and Lucas Giolito 9-8 ERA 3.81, the White Sox ace for the Sox. Nestor Cortes Jr. has been great for the Yankees, although he has not gotten his first win since taking over for Corey Kluber. The Yankees have won 5 of his 7 starts. Giolito is listed as the Sox ace; he is their third-best pitcher this season. The Sunday matinee will be on WPIX and its affiliates in the New York area and NBCSCH in Chicago. The game will also be televised on TBS out of market.

Andrew Heaney’s job may be in jeopardy

Since acquiring him, Andrew Heaney, who has not pitched well for the New York Yankees, he was the only pitcher available to pitch the Field of Dreams game, and he failed miserably, giving up seven earned runs in the game in only five innings.

With his 5.45 ERA, Heaney had to face the White Sox’s best pitcher, Lance Lynn, with his 2.26 ERA and not having allowed more than three runs in any game in July and August. Heaney gave up five runs in the first four innings, which would usually be the end for a starting pitcher, but manager Boone brought him out again in the fifth inning to save the already overworked bullpen for the rest of the series, he failed to do that.

Heaney has not had a good outing yet for the Yankees, and now his starting job may be in jeopardy. He has given up 15 earned runs and 8 home runs in his three starts for the New York Yankees.

Help is on the way

This may very well be an exciting week for the Yankees. The Yankees will see the return of Anthony Rizzo to the lineup sometime this week. Also, on the good news front, Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery threw bullpen sessions in Chicago yesterday, and Aaron Boone said that all went well. With the Yankees so short on pitchers, it could mean that they will both pitch in the Red Sox series at Yankees Stadium next week.

Luis Severino setback?

The long-awaited return, two years in the making, was just a week or one more rehab game away for Luis Severino, but now that may not happen. He was set to have a rehab game on Friday, but it didn’t take place. Reportedly Scranton Wilkes/Barre manager Doug Davis told reporters on hand that Severino “didn’t feel right” in warmups and was scratched just before the game.

Davis also told reporters he didn’t know the issue with Severino, but it’s disappointing news for the New York Yankees that so badly need pitching help. If there is further information on Severino, you will find it on EmpireSportsMedia.com.

Kluber struggles in the first rehab start

The New York Yankees have been eagerly awaiting the return of Corey Kluber that pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees earlier in the season. On his way back, he pitched for Double-A Somerset on Thursday night. It was Kluber’s first outing since late May. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well; he looked rusty and only made it through 1.1 innings before being removed from the game.

The Yankees right-hander, pitching for Double-A Somerset, threw just 20 strikes on 45 pitches against the Portland Sea Dogs. He walked four and hit an additional two batters on his way to allowing five earned runs. Such a poor start is not that surprising for a pitcher looking to find his command after not pitching in over two months.

Kluber averaged over seven innings per start over his five outings before the May 25 injury and recorded a 1.78 ERA over that span. It now appears he will have another two rehab assignments before an early September return.

Frazier doubled; will he be welcomed back?

Both Clint Frazier and the New York Yankees have been mysteriously quiet about Frazier and his hard-to-explain dizziness and vision problems. But now, out of nowhere, He had a successful game with Tampa and was quickly promoted to Somerset.

First, it was the slugger’s live BP that came as a big surprise. Then, on Tuesday, he took the next step by being announced just one-half hour before the Somerset game; he hit a double in the game and scored once. So now the question is, is he ready to return to the Yankees, and will he be welcomed?

While he has been away from the Yankees, he played his last game on June 30th; the Yankees have tried several outfielders, including Greg Allen, Ryan LaMaree, Trey Amburgey, and Jonathan Davis, among others. They also acquired one of the best outfielders out there in Joey Gallo.

Although not excellent in the outfield, Frazier has been good. However, his hitting has not. Will the Yankees want his dead bat in the lineup as they push for a postseason appearance? The New York Yankees have their outfield options.

 

Yankees News: Luis Severino update, Voit homers, two minor-leaguer’s dominate Baltimore

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yankees, luis gil

The New York Yankees experienced something special on Tuesday evening as Luis Gil took the mound in his first-ever major-league start. Over 6.0 innings, Gil allowed four hits and zero earned runs, collecting six strikeouts over 88 pitches. For a minor-league player to display this type of adequacy, the Yankees should be considering him as a potential option early next week. With Ace Gerrit Cole currently on the COVID-19 list, the Yankees have relied on a few unreliable options.

For example, they rolled with Andrew Heaney on Monday, as the Bombers were plastered for seven runs. Gil performed far better, despite hosting a 5.64 ERA in Triple-A.

Aside from Gill, one other youngster dominated in his first MLB action. Stephen Ridings, who is classified as a starting pitcher but came in as relief, posted three strikeouts, hitting triple digits with his fastball. Ridings stated after the game that his grandmother had passed the day before, so his performance and experience were indescribable. After such a valiant effort, the Yankees should heavily consider giving both pitchers another opportunity in the near future.

Luis Severino injury update:

Severino pitched 2.1 innings for the Double-A Somerset-Patriots in an 8-4 win on Tuesday. He allowed two hits, two runs and struck out four batters over 43 pitches. This was his first rehab start, putting him in a good spot to potentially make a return in September. Severino has suffered multiple setbacks, including a groin strain several weeks ago that pushed his return date back. Hopefully, he can build off this performance, as it wasn’t exactly what the Yankees hoped for. It will take him time to work his way back into shape, but he’s on the right track.

First baseman Luke Voit cracked a homer with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a 7-2 loss to the Worcester Red Sox. Unfortunately, the Yankees have already replaced Voit at first with Anthony Rizzo, who has been phenomenal offensively for the team since the acquisition. Voit will be fighting for a designated hitter role upon his return, as he will remain with the team for the rest of the season as the trade deadline has passed.

Yankees’ starter will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday with the Somerset Patriots

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

The injury-related hits keep coming for the New York Yankees, as they found out on Monday night that ace Gerrit Cole, scheduled to start on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles, tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss between two and three turns in the rotation depending on his recovery and other things. Third baseman Gio Urshela was also placed on the 10-day injured list.

Are there ever good news on the injury front for the Yankees? Well, yes, there are. Starting pitcher Luis Severino will start a rehab assignment today as he works his way back from a groin injury that put a halt on his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Severino hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since 2019, when he had a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings, adding 17 strikeouts. A litany of physical issues have robbed him most of the last three seasons, ending with the Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2020 and the groin strain that delayed his return in 2021.

The Yankees are planning to give Severino around 50 pitches tonight

Now, however, he is ready to restart his journey back to the Yankees, as he will take the ball tonight for the Double-A Somerset Patriots. Over the weekend, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Severino and fellow righty Corey Kluber are on track to return in the Aug. 22 to Sept. 1 range.

“I think that’s probably reasonable, especially with Sevy,” Boone said, per NJ Advance Media.

The Yankees are expected to give Severino “probably three innings, 45-to-50 pitches” on Tuesday night with Somerset.

The plan is for him to complete three or four rehab starts with the Yankees’ minor league affiliates and stretch to five or six innings before he is called up in late August – early September for the stretch run.

The Yankees, more than ever, need Severino to contribute at some point in the second half if they want to make a push for the playoffs.

Can Luis Severino return in time to make a significant contribution to the 2021 Yankees?

New York Yankees: Injury updates on all 18 Yankee players

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Although not as bad as in 2019, the New York Yankees have certainly had their share of injuries this season. Those injuries were further exacerbated by six Yankees going on the Covid list. But it’s time for Yankees fans to sit back and relax; relief is on the way. Here are up-to-date injury updates on all the Yankee players.

Luis Severino (elbow)

One of the most important injuries the Yankee fans have been watching for is the return of Luis Severino from his Tommy John surgery. Severino was 33-14 between 2017 and 2018 before the surgery in 2019. The good news is that his return will be coming sooner than later. Aaron Boone reported that Sevi pitched a simulated two innings with 38 pitches yesterday at Fenway Park.  Next week he may start a rehab game in Somerset.  Projected return late August.

Corey Kluber (shoulder)

Another starter being closely watched is Corey Kluber. Kluber finally found his form with a no-hitter complete game on May 19th before leaving his May 25th game with shoulder tightness. Kluber never stopped throwing. Brian Hock of MLB.com reports that Kluber threw 20 pitches off the mound at Fenway on Friday as he draws closer to an early September return.

Michael King (finger)

Starter/reliever Michael King who was the primary fill-in for Corey Kluber, injured his finger when he jammed it between weights in the weight room. He hasn’t pitched since July 3rd against the Mets. Aaron Boone says his return is still a bit away. CBS Sports reports that he may start to throw this week. Nevertheless, he will need time to ramp back up. Projected return mid to late August.

Clarke Schmidt (elbow)

Clarke Schmidt has been out all of the season with an elbow injury. He hasn’t pitched since September 27, 2020. He suffered a flexor tendon strain. Although a common injury rehab can be long, and it has been. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Schmidt would take part in a rehab game next Wednesday. Schmidt could return to the big team before the end of the season.

T.J.Sikkema (lat injury)

Sikkema is a minor league starting pitcher that has not pitched this season due to a lat injury suffered in spring training. Little information is available on his progress, But if and when he returns, it will probably be for the Renegades. He is presently on the 60 day.

Darren O’Day (hamstring)

The sidearm reliever Darren O’Day was put on the 60 day IL a week ago on Friday. After a setback, O’Day is likely out for the season. After missing the start of the season with a shoulder issue, it now appears that he will only have 10 appearances for the Yankees this season.

Wandy Peralta (Covid)

Wandy Peralta was one of the first Yankees to go on the Covid list. He could be back in the bullpen next week.

Luke Voit (knee)

First baseman Luke Voit has been the bad luck kid this season. Voit missed the start of the season. He returned to the team on May 15, but after 10 days, he was back on the IL. He returned on June 22nd. But his last game would be on July 11th after suffering a bruised knee that impeded his running. Aaron Boone has reported that he is doing significantly better and may return to the team during the first week of August.

Aaron Hicks (wrist)

Centerfielder Aaron Hicks underwent wrist surgery and likely will not return this season.

Clint Frazier (vision)

Frazier has had a strange vision problem that was first described as dizziness. As a result, he hasn’t played at all during July. He has visited an eye specialist, but a clear diagnosis has been elusive. As a result, he is not taking part in any baseball activities. He has not been cleared to start playing again, per Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger. Return unknown.

Miguel Andujar (wrist)

Outfielder Miguel Andujar injured his wrist. The last game he played in was on July 6th. However, a recent setback in his rehab will cause him to be out longer than expected. Brian Hock of MLB.com reports that he will get another cortisone shot. With rehab still in progress, there is no projected return.

Gio Ushela (Covid)

Gio Ushela is back with the club in Boston. He is scheduled to be activated today and may be in today’s lineup after returning from the Covid list.

Aaron Judge (Covid)

Aaron Judge is another Yankee player that was put on the Covid list. However, Aaron Boone said on Thursday that Aaron Judge could rejoin the team this weekend and could be cleared to play early next week in the Rays series.

Kyle Higasioka (Covid)

Backup catcher Kyel Higasioka has been on the Covid list. Gary Sanchez came down with back spasms leaving only Rob Brantly, only Yankees catcher. If he were injured yesterday, that would make Roughie Odor the only real option. Luckily “Higgy” is expected to be back with the team for the Tampa Bay Rays series.

Gary Sanchez (back)

Gary Sanchez left the first game of the Boston Red Sox series with back spasms. With Higashioka on the Covid list, it left Rob Brantly as the only Yankee catcher. He is listed as day-to-day. So fans will have to wait for today’s lineup to see if he returns to the backstop.

Tim Locastro (Knee)

Tim Locastro was brought up because of a shortage of outfielders. Unfortunately, he injured his knee. The Associated Press has reported that he will undergo knee surgery next week, likely ending his season.

Trey Amburgey (Hamstring)

Amburgey was another player brought up to shore up the outfield. Unfortunately, he pulled a hamstring in his second game last Tuesday. He is on the ten-day; however, they could heal quickly with hamstring injuries or keep a player out for an extended time.

Chris Gittens (ankle)

First baseman Chris Gittens was taken out of the game yesterday when he collapsed running to first base. He is listed as day-to-day and will undergo an MRI today to see how serious the injury is.

Reliever/Stater Nestor Cortes Jr. and Jonathan Loaisiga have already returned from the Covid list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yankees News, 7/20: Luis Severino takes huge step in recovery, the time is now for Bombers to spark run

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

The New York Yankees have been forced once again to rely on their depth as a primary focal point of their team. Luckily, it seems as if their reserve pieces are playing better than the starters, having beaten the Red Sox in two consecutive games, scoring 12 runs, and allowing just four.

With a short two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies starting on Tuesday evening, the Yankees will then take on Boston once again over four games, which could be their opportunity to climb back into the AL East standings.

Currently, the Bombers are 7.5 games back from Boston in the East, also sitting 4.0 games back behind the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card race. There is still a chance for them to make a postseason run late in the year, but they need to be firing on all cylinders from here on out.

Luis Severino is making great progress after suffering a setback:

Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino suffered a Grade 1 groin strain a few weeks ago during a rehabilitation outing in the minors. This cost him a few extra weeks, but he’s still expected to make a return this year. Severino has only pitched 12 innings over the past two seasons and is desperately looking to make his way back to the starting team.

Luckily, over 30 pitches in a simulated game, skipper Aaron Boone indicated that Severino looked solid.

“I thought he threw the ball really well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Severino’s sim game. “Looks strong, healthy, which I think syncs up with everything the first go around before he hurt his leg.”

He’s still working his way back up to facing live hitting, but they are going to take his process slowly, given how many times he’s been re-injured over the past two years.

“That’ll be something that we decide if he’s at 50, 60, 70 pitches, there’s a chance he could be here at that point,” Boone explained. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves in that regard. We’ll see where we’re at three and four and five weeks from now.”

The last time the Bombers had Severino for a full season was in 2018, when he recorded a 3.39 ERA, 10.35 strikeouts per nine, and won 19 games. They desperately need that version of Luis back if they want to make a deep run this year, despite the team’s obvious struggles.

Yankees News, 6/20: Great Luke Voit injury news, Luis Severino dodges bullet

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New York Yankees, Luke Voit

The New York Yankees have won four of their last five games, extracting a victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday by a score of 7-5. The Yankees posted 11 hits, striking out seven times, but saw consistent offense for a change.

The Athletics are a superior team at the moment, sitting 44-20 on the season, but the Yankees have crawled back of the AL East race with their most recent “W.” Thanks to another Gary Sanchez home run and a dominant performance by Gio Urshela, the Bombers are 5.5 games back from the Boston Red Sox and five games back from the Tampa Bay Rays. They are well within reach of inserting themselves right back into the playoff picture, but they need to remain consistent and string together a few wins over quality teams.

The Yankees are waiting on big-time reinforcements:

Luckily, the Yankees have support on the way, as starting first baseman Luke Voit is working his way back from a right oblique strain he suffered on May 26. The 30-year-old has been dominant with the Somerset Patriots, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and three RBIs on Friday.

Voit is working his way back quickly, but he must remain healthy once he finally returns to the top team. He’s only enjoyed 12 games this year with the Yankees, recording a .182 average and one home run over 50 at-bats.

In addition, the Yankees also received good news regarding starting pitcher Luis Severino, who has been working his way back from Tommy John surgery last year or so. He suffered a grade 2 groin strain two weeks ago in Brooklyn during a minor-league assignment.

The Yankees are excited to return Severino after two years of dealing with an injury, and luckily the groin strain won’t keep him out for a considerable amount of time.

Severino has already begun throwing just a week after the injury, and was playing catch before the Yankees’ game against Oakland. Traditionally, a groin strain of this nature can take 3 to 6 weeks to heal fully. Realistically, Severino will likely see his return date pushed back a month or so, which could’ve been much worse considering how bad the injury looked in the first place.

New York Yankees Analysis: What happened to the April 1st Yankees?

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton

It’s April 1st, the first day of the New York Yankees‘ 162 game 2021 baseball season. The headlines that day pushed forward the suggestion that the Yankees were the team to beat this season. They also touted that the Yankees were destined to win the East, going on to the postseason, and had the best chance of winning the World Series. Today, you would look long and hard to find anyone who didn’t think that was a pipe dream and far from the team fans see playing in most games this season. Many think the Yankees will be lucky not to land next to the Baltimore Orioles at the bottom of the LA East.  What the hell happened?

Much of it is a mystery to fans, players, coaches, and management alike. How could a lineup projected to be one of the most powerful in baseball completely flop and be near the bottom in run production? The answer is simple; they aren’t hitting—the reason why is far more complex. To a degree, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are the only hitters on the team that is performing as they are supposed to. The rest of the lineup dead or near dead. Even last year’s batting champion DJ LeMahieu is hitting more than a hundred points less in batting average than the 2020 season. His underperformance at the top of the order is crippling the Yankees’ offense more than anyone else’s struggles relative to expectations.

As frustration builds among fans, the finger-pointing has started. Even some predominant sportswriters are starting to say trade this player, fire this coach, and even replace manager Aaron Boone, and while they are doing that, get rid of general manager Brian Cashman. Still, some are saying Hal Steinbrenner should sell the team. Those comments, for the most part, are irresponsible. The New York Yankees are the most winning team in sports and will continue to make no mistake. There have been many bad years before, and there will be others; maybe this is one of them. But the Yankees had seen bad starts before and went on to a World Series win.

On the pitching side of the situation, management took some big risks with possible high rewards. At the end of the season, they let Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ walk. They brought in two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, and they traded for Jameson Taillon, both pitchers that hadn’t pitched in almost two years. Those additions added to a rotation led by ace Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, and a returning Domingo German produced a highly respectable rotation, if not stellar. The question remaining was could the staff return to the form they once had. As it turned out, Taillon, for the most part, is a dud. On the other hand, Kluber had started to get better with each outing, even a no-hitter to his name. But as we sit today, Kluber will be out for as much as two months, and the returning Luis Severino was injured in rehab and now won’t be back with the team until around September 1st.

The big problem to be solved is that if they continue to play as they have, they will not be able to test their skills against the rest of baseball because they won’t emerge from the AL East. The New York Yankees can’t constantly win over their major rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays. They are 0-3 against the Sox, 4-6 against the Blue Jays, and are 5-8 against the Tampa Bay Rays. If they can’t win against these teams, they have no way of winning or even getting a Wild Card berth in the AL East.

With the undying support and praise from management, this team has to generate the energy and inspiration to win more consistently. Before tonight the Yankees have lost 13 of their last 18 games. With the team failing so badly, both Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman are speaking up.

“We’ve got to find a way to get better,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re gonna find out what kind of character we’re made of. We’re clearly in the midst of incredibly tough times. We’ve faced it this season and we’re gonna find out if we’re the team we think we are.”

“Losing invites the scrutiny on us all,” Brian Cashman said. “I’d best answer that as we’re in this together. We made this bed, and we’re going to sleep in it, and we’re going to make sure that we find a way to fix this together.”

“It is frustrating to watch. I get it,” Cashman said. “And it’s frustrating to watch because we’re better than this. It’s not because Aaron Boone doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s not because any of the coaching staff aren’t doing the job to the best of their abilities. We are dealing with it; I promise you that.”

GM Cashman has said that he intends to bolster the roster before the July 30 trade deadline, saying that he has been “knocking on the doors” of the other 29 clubs to find trade matches.  The areas he will look to improve include center field that is now being filled in by bench pieces, Brett Gardner, a fine defenseman but lacks at the plate, and Tyler Wade, an infielder by trade. The other area he will look to augment is the starting pitching with Kubler gone for two months and Severino, who won’t return until September at best.

This team has got to put their heads together and develop a group plan to improve hitting and baserunning. They also have to find a way, with the help of hitting coach Thames to lift the ball and stop hitting into so many double plays. It’s going to be up to the players and management alike to turn this team around. With 65 games already played, they need to get after it; time is of the essence. The New York Yankees have the ability and have the talent to get this done. The race is not lost but soon will be if they can’t improve.

 

Yankees News, 6/13: Terrible Luis Severino injury update, was Jameson Taillon a mistake?

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

The New York Yankees are dealing with a significant number of injuries, and they were expecting to gain back a few essential pieces in the coming weeks. Starting pitcher Luis Severino is working his way through a rehabilitation assignment with High-A Hudson Valley but walked away worse than he started on Saturday.

Luis Severino goes down again for the Yankees:

Severino marked his first rehab stint this year last week, allowing one run and two hits in his first start with Low-A Tampa, but did record three strikeouts on Saturday before suffering an apparent right leg injury. Severino was helped off the field, clutching his groin in significant pain, a setback that could keep them out for a few more months.

Considering his immediate response to the injury, he could barely put any weight on his right leg, and hopefully, MRIs return a slight strain to his groin rather than a tear. A torn groin can command 4-8 weeks of recovery, which would then force Severino to ramp back up and ensure his elbow is feeling adequate. An injury of this nature would likely keep him out until late August, if not the remainder of the 2021 season. Another significant blow to the Yankees’ starting pitching rotation, as Corey Kluber has also been dealing with a shoulder injury that had a 4-8 week recovery timeline.

Was trading for Jameson Taillon a mistake?

When the Yankees acquired Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates, they expected to add a stellar starting pitcher to their ranks. However, his performance in 2018 when he recorded a 3.20 ERA over 32 games seems to be an ancient relic at this point in time. Over 12 appearances this year, he holds a 5.74 ERA, with a career-low 34.2% ground ball rate and career-high 1.69 home runs allowed per nine innings. In a year where pitching has been dominant, Taillon has struggled considerably.

The Yankees are currently paying him just $2.25 million this year, but they did give up multiple prospects to Pittsburgh in exchange for one of Gerrit Cole’s close friends from his younger days with Pittsburgh. Taillon is arbitration-eligible in 2022 and will be a free agent in 2023, so the team has time to refine his qualities and hopefully return him to the norm. However, his struggles seem to have no end in sight, as he has struggled in consecutive performances this year.