New York Yankees‘ homegrown ace Luis Severino was injured in a rehab appearance for the Class-A Hudson Valley Renegades on Saturday.
After pitching 1.2 innings and touching nearly 100 mph on his fastball, Severino misstepped on the mound and injured his right leg. He was helped off the field by training staff and was in visible pain.
Luis Severino, at his rehab start in High-A is being walked off the mound after suffering an apparent leg injury pic.twitter.com/5OSSZsIQZN
Severino was looking to be the starting rotation boost the Yankees need. Corey Kluber is out until further notice with an arm injury, while Jameson Taillon has really struggled to get going in New York. Severino was just weeks away from a return to the Yankees before his injury.
Saturday was Severino’s second start of his rehab assignment. He pitched earlier this week for Class-A Tampa, where he went 2.2 innings and gave up one run. Severino touched 98 mph on his fastball while batters looked helpless against the 27-year-old.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
Although not as bad as the last two years, the New York Yankees have had their share of injuries. But the future looks bright with most injured players being back with the team in the month of July, some sooner. Here are the latest updates.
Zack Britton (Bone chip)
We start off with Zack Britton returning from bone chip surgery as he will be back to the team sooner than any other player on this list. Manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday that Britton is doing well coming off his first rehab game. Boone suggested that Britton would be activated off the IL during this road trip which could be as early as today, but more like will be during the Blue Jays series in Buffalo.
Luis Severino (Tommy John surgery)
After a successful first rehab start (2 2/3 1 run), Severino will make his second rehab start with the Hudson Valley Renegades this afternoon. Aaron Boone has stated that Severino’s starts will be six days apart. He is drawing closer to the return to Yankee Stadium, which is still projected to be in a month or so. He will probably only be built up to 50-60 pitches when he returns and will finish building up over several games, hoping that he will be fully stretched out by the postseason.
Luke Voit (Oblique)
As reported by Aaron Boone, Voit will have his first rehab game at Scranton Wilkes/Barre early next week. He could return to the team after a week of rehab games.
Darren O’Day (shoulder)
MLB.com reports that O’Day has increased his throwing distance to 120 feet on the flat and that he may start throwing off the mound soon. Projected return to the team something before the All-Star break.
Clarke Schmidt (elbow)
Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated has reported that Schmidt has been throwing bullpens. But so far, he is only throwing his fastballs. His projected return to the team is also sometime in July.
Justin Wilson (hamstring)
Aaron Boone stated on Tuesday that Wilson is responding well to treatment of his hamstring injury but did not indicate when he might pitch for the team.
Ryan LaMarre (hamstring)
LaMarre started rehab games this week at Scranton Wilkes/Barre. He could be available to the major league time in a week or two at the most.
Corey Kluber (shoulder)
As of the last update, Kluber is still tossing the ball but has not thrown off the mound. He is still projected to be out until early August if all goes well.
Aaron Hicks (wrist)
The has been no change in Hick’s recovery from wrist surgery. If he returns to the team this season, it likely will not be before September at best.
The New York Yankees have been waiting on their turn-off starting pitcher Luis Severino for over a year now, after suffering another elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. Severino missed the entire 2020 season and has only pitched 12 innings since 2018, showcasing an unfortunate series of events that has set his potential back astronomically.
However, Severino is preparing to start a rehab assignment with Low-A Tampa, which will hopefully sparkle returned within the next few months.
According to the Yankees PR:
Today RHP Luis Severino commences a rehab assignment with Low-A Tampa.
Back in 2018, Severino hosted a 3.39 ERA over 191.1 innings pitched. He earned 10.35 strikeouts per nine and allowed a career-low 0.89 home runs per nine innings.
While it will undoubtedly take him a few weeks to regain his form and consistency, the Yankees should have a solid starting rotation once the postseason rolls around, given they are able to reach that point in the season with their inept offense.
Both Corey Kluber and Severino could return around the same time, offering the Yankees much-needed reinforcements down the road. Kluber suffered a shoulder injury that will keep them out for a minimum of four weeks, but after ramping up, he could be two months away from a return.
The New York Yankees feared the worst when Corey Kluber, a veteran pitcher, had to leave his last start with right shoulder soreness. His diagnosis, a strained sub scapula muscle, meant he wouldn’t pitch for at least two months.
The right-hander had been getting some additional testing done on his shoulder on Wednesday, and there are some good news to report.
While the initial eight-week timetable remains, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, according to NJ Advance Media, that Kluber actually could start a throwing program sooner than expected.
“I would say there’s some optimism,” Boone said about his pitcher before Thursday’s game against the Rays. “He’ll probably start a flat-ground program probably in the next few days. But I’ll probably have more when he gets here and we sit down and meet and start to map out a plan.”
There was some fear that the additional imaging would show a torn labrum or a similarly bad injury, but fortunately for Kluber and the Yankees, that is not the case. The Bombers, barring any setbacks, could have their star pitcher back in approximately two months.
Kluber sought additional opinions on his injury in Los Angeles, but is expected back today.
The initial plan was for him to shut down all activities for four weeks, but he will start throwing significantly sooner than that.
Yankees’ Severino to start rehab assignment in Tampa
After toying with the idea of assigning rehabbing starter Luis Severino to Double-A or Triple-A, the Yankees decided to have him start on Sunday in Low-A.
The right-hander is already touching 97 mph on his fastball and could return in a few weeks to the Yankees’ active roster if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks.
“With him already being down there (in Tampa), instead of him going through (COVID-19 health and safety protocol) intake when he goes up here, it was just easier to keep him on that,” Boone said.
The New York Yankees could a few weeks away from getting back one of their most talented arms. Right-handed pitcher Luis Severino, who is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery performed in the spring of 2020, threw a successful simulated game yesterday, and the reports were absolutely glowing.
Greg Joyce of the New York Post reported that Sevy hit 97 miles per hour on the sim game, which is pretty much his average velocity when he is healthy and in form. That is fantastic news for a Yankees team that can use a steady replacement for injured starter Corey Kluber, who is out for at least a couple of months with a shoulder injury.
Severino won’t return tomorrow, however: he will have to complete a rehab assignment first, though. According to Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated, the power righty will pitch with a minor league affiliate on Sunday, per manager Aaron Boone, officially kicking in his rehab assignment.
The Yankees still don’t know to which affiliate Sevy will be assigned
According to what Boone told Goodman, the rehab assignment won’t necessarily be with the Tampa Tarpons: it could be Scranton (Triple-A) or Somerset (Double-A), the skipper said.
Boone said that Sevy was throwing the ball “incredibly well.”
Recovery from Tommy John surgery can be slow, and setbacks could appear on the way. Mets’ pitcher Noah Syndergaard had the procedure around the same time as Severino, and was recently shut down for six weeks after reporting some soreness in his right elbow, putting his season in jeopardy.
At this point, the Yankees know that any setbacks could mean Severino can be lost for the season, so they are treading carefully and will not rush him back. If he manages to complete his rehab in one piece, Severino can be a huge piece for the Bombers’ rotation at some point in the second half, as he can slot right behind ace Gerrit Cole with an eye in the postseason.
The New York Yankees lost three games in a row against a weak opponent to end last week, but that doesn’t mean the team is bad or in a particularly compromising position. They remain in third place of the AL East, 4.5 games behind an opponent with which they will battle it out in a series to open this week, the Tampa Bay Rays. They do need to improve certain facets of the game, most notably an offense that has struggled to produce much this week.
The starting rotation, for the most part, has remained steady. Before Monday’s action, the unit had the ninth-best ERA in MLB with 3.45, and the seventh-best FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) with 3.48.
The Yankees’ rotation depth will be put to test in the next few weeks, as Corey Kluber went down with a shoulder strain last week. Deivi Garcia didn’t have a good start in his first turn replacing the veteran righty, but the Bombers are about to get back a critical piece for their aspirations: Luis Severino.
The Yankees can have a stellar rotation if they get Sevy back
The rehabbing right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2020, is nearing a rehab assignment. He is, according to Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated, scheduled to throw another simulated game today and could potentially start his rehab assignment this week, on Sunday, per manager Aaron Boone.
Severino has been making strides in the last couple of weeks, throwing live batting practice sessions and bullpens. He is already using his whole repertoire and could make for a nice addition for the Yankees’ rotation at some point in June.
“He’s in a really good spot right now. The stuff has been really good his last couple of outings and we’re encouraged by what we’ve been seeing,” Boone said.
If the Yankees can get Severino and Kluber back at some point in the second half, they could be very, very dangerous team come September and the playoffs.
In recent weeks the New York Yankees pitching rotation has turned heads in the baseball world, particularly among the 29 other MLB teams. Before the season started, the expectations were that the rotation could be great, but the early results didn’t show that. Now the rust has been shaken off, the results are outstanding and can only get better. For more information on each pitcher, go to my fellow writer Alexander Wilson’s article.
The entire pitching rotation is held together by New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole. He has just been phenomenal, eclipsing his 2019 stats with the Houston Astros. Like the retired closer, Mariano Rivera, made fans think that when he takes the mound, the foregone conclusion is that the Yankees will get another win. So far this season, he is 6-2 with an ERA of 1.81. He has given up just 13 runs while striking out an amazing 92 opponents. That is second in strikeouts only to the Indians, Shane Bieber. But we expect that from Cole, don’t we?
New York Yankee legend Andy Pettitte has spent time with the rotation and says of Cole:
“It’s very rare that you find a player with his knowledge, his awareness. His mind works like a player that has had fifteen years in the big leagues. That’s the first thing that stands out, how sure of himself he was. His approach to the game, his knowlege of the history of the game. He’s going to be a huge contributor both on the field and in the clubhouse.”
If you notice, Cole has become a mentor to all the other New York Yankees pitchers. You usually see him chat with every pitcher when they come out of a game. Cole loves to talk about the fine nuances of pitching and freely shares it with his teammates.
What has Yankees fans so excited is the emergence of Corey Kluber as maybe a second ace for the Yankees. We might forget, but he is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and could return to the form that won him those prestigious awards. After his no-hitter, that thought has become closer to reality. Imagine going into the postseason with the one-two punch of Cole and Kluber; if both are at their best, they can defeat any team facing them.
But from there, it only gets better. Domingo German is pitching great and showing signs of his 18-4 2019 season. German this season seems to be getting better the more he pitches. In his last outing against the Rangers, he pitched seven scoreless innings in a game the Yankees won 2-0. The Yankees have won his last six starts. Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery are both close to getting it figured out but still need some work. Pitching coach Matt Blake has been working with them so they can contribute to a higher level. Pettitte said of Montgomery, “we need to get him right; I see him as a big contributor for the Yankees.”
Many of the pitching mysteries at the beginning of the season have been resolved for so many pitchers that had not pitched in a year or more, but there is one huge one yet to come. That is, how will Luis Severino pitch when he returns to the team sometime around the All-Star break? Severino is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and so far, reports on his rehab have been good.
In the first half of the 2018 season, he recorded 14 wins before the All-Star Game, the first Pitcher since 1969, when Mel Stottlemyre did it. He was again selected to pitch in the All-Star game. Severino started the AL Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics in a game the Yankees won 7-2. Severino finished the season 19-8 with an ERA of 3.39. He led all major league pitchers with an average fastball velocity of 97.6 miles per hour for the second consecutive year. At the end of the season, Severino signed a $40 million contract for four years with a Yankee option for a fifth year.
Imagine this for a moment… The New York Yankees win the AL East and go into the postseason with a Luis Severino, which returns to the 2018 form, Domingo German, which returns to the 2019 form led by Gerrit Cole and Corey Kluber. Could the New York Yankees end up with four ace-like pitchers? My friends, can you say 28th World Championship?
The New York Yankees’ rotation has been a strength this season. Gerrit Cole has been perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, Corey Kluber and Domingo German have turned their years around after rocky starts, and Jordan Montgomery overcame a bad outing earlier in the week to dominate the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night. Overall, it has been a good couple of months for the unit, as only Jameson Taillon seems to be struggling.
Fortunately for the Yankees, some reinforcements could be on the way. And it’s hard to think of a better addition to an MLB rotation than Luis Severino. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2020, but he is just about ready to make rehab starts, as he successfully completed another step in his recovery.
According to Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone, the Bombers are “getting close” to giving the green light for Severino to pitch in a minor-league rehab game. It would be his first game action in more than a year.
The Yankees would welcome Sevy back
The righty, who was a dominant starter for the Yankees in 2017 and 2018, threw another simulated game at the Yankees’ player development complex Wednesday.
“The reports were glowing,” Boone said Saturday. “Velocity, shape of the slider, all of those things. He’s doing really well.”
Severino is shaping up for an early-July return if he can start his rehab assignment next week.
Having Severino back would give the Yankees an extremely strong rotation that would allow them to better manage Taillon’s innings if that’s the direction they choose to follow.
Severino has a career 3.46 ERA with a dominant 1.15 WHIP in 530 innings, all with the Bombers, with 589 strikeouts to round out his resume.
Compared to the last two seasons, the New York Yankees have been blessed with far fewer significant injuries. One of the injuries is a carryover from last year. Luis Severino underwent Tommy John surgery, not allowing him to pitch at all last season. Now Severino is just two months away from his expected return. Here is a list of the Yankees’ present injuries and the players’ progress.
Giancarlo Stanton, quad:
Giancarlo Stanton was scratched from last night’s game in Baltimore due to left quad tightness. Stanton has had a history of quadriceps problems. This issue has arisen in his left quad. He previously had right quad problems in the 2019 ALCS. He has not been put on the 10 day IL, and the Yankees have not explained the extensiveness of the injury. We know that Stanton usually does not come back quickly from these injuries if they are serious. The Yankees have to hope that the injury is minor as he is presently their best hitter.
Aaron Hicks, wrist:
The injury to Aaron Hicks wrist may not be a minor as the Stanton injury. Hicks could be out for some time with a wrist injury. They have issued a mixed bag on the injury, saying that he could return after a few days of rest, that he may have to go to the IL, to he may require surgery. If the latter is the case, he will be missing from the Yankees lineup for some time. “I think it could go either way,” is what Aaron Boone said. With Odor, Torres, and Stanton out of the lineup, the Yankee hope he will just need rest.
Gio Urshela, knee:
Gio Urshela is not on the IL and is still playing. During a catch in the Astros series, Urshela injured his knee, falling on it. He missed a few days and returned to the team. In the last game at Tampa, he seemed to run the bases haltingly. Last night he seemed to run better. In an after-game interview, he indicated it was getting better each day.
Gleyber Torres, Covid:
Of the eight positive Covid cases the New York Yankees are dealing with, Gleyber Torres is the only player affected. After being infected with the virus last December, Torres was one of the vaccinated players in April with the J&J vaccine. Wednesday, it was announced that Torres had contracted the virus again. He was placed on the 10 Covid lists. That protocol calls for him to be quarantined for 10 days in Tampa, or if he tests negative for three days in a row, he may be able to return to the team.
Darren O’Day, rotator cuff:
The 38 year old sidearm reliever is on the 10 IL for a rotaor cuff injury. “You talk to any veteran relief pitcher, you’re going to deal with things throughout the year,” Boone said. “This is enough to where it does require a few weeks of shutdown. Hopefully he can get this thing right and still be an important part of our bullpen moving forward.”
Asher Wojciechowski, lat injury:
Asher is now with the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Rail Raiders. He suffered a lat injury at the end of spring training. He has bee day to day and very little information on his rehab is available, but once he is good to go it is unlikely he will return to the team.
Zack Britton, Bone chip:
Back in March, Zack Britton underwent surgery to have a bone chip removed from his pitching elbow. Earlier in April, Aaron Boone provided a positive update on Britton’s rehab.
“Zack’s doing really well. He’s got full range of motion. I think he is scheduled to start playing catch as early as this week. … The incision and the swelling and all that, which is the biggest hurdle to clear initially, is going really well for him.
Britton is not eligible to return until the end of this month, depending on his progress. He will throw off a mound now that the New York Yankees have returned from their road trip, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.
Robinson Chirinos, wrist:
Robinson Chirinos is now at Triple-A Scranton rehabbing. He is doing well playing in exhibition games and could return to the Yankees in the next two weeks if he is needed.
Clarke Schmidt,
Jordan Horrobin of MLB.com reports that Schmidt has begun throwing again. Schmidt suffered a common flexor strain during spring training. He received a cortisone shot to relieve pain. If pitching off the flat is a success, he will move on to pitch from the mound. There is no timetable for his return. Boone said, “Obviously, it’s going to take a while because he’s starting from scratch essentially, but he’s doing well.”
Luis Severino, Tommy John:
Severino has been throwing off a mound since March 11 and is close to being cleared to face hitters. Manager Aaron Boone said:
“I don’t know his exact date of throwing to hitters. I know it’s mapped out and I’ll try to peek at the schedule here (Thursday or Friday). I know that he’s got a bullpen (Thursday) (April 29) of 35 pitches, so he is getting close.”
Severino was originally expected to return to the mound at Yankee Stadium late in the summer, but that has advanced to him returning very late in June of at least before the All-Star break. This week he was seen at the Tampa complex throwing a batting practice with New York Yankees phenom Jasson Dominguez.
The New York Yankees have had injuries in the spring and before but have been relatively free of serious injuries that will keep players off the field for prolonged periods. The only serious injury is Luis Severino that his Tommy John Surgery caused at the beginning of last season. Here is a breakdown of the injuries and the latest updates for New York Yankee players and when fans could expect them back with the team.
Luis Severino:
On February 27, 2020, Luis Severino underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow. At the time, it was projected he would be away from the team until late summer 2021. That would include a few minor league rehab starts. But recently, manager Aaron Boone has updated his progress, say that he is doing better than expected in his rehab. Boone has actually caught a session from Severino. He is now expected to be back with the team sometime in mid-July.
Miguel Andujar:
Third baseman and outfielder Miguel Andujar has minor hand and wrist soreness that will keep him away from the team at the beginning of the season and with a difficult-to-diagnose injury, possibly beyond. After his poor showing in spring training, when he does come back, he will most likely be sent down to Scranton and won’t be used unless injuries require him. His expected return is sometime next week.
Luke Voit:
The loss of last year’s baseball home run leader is one of the most significant injuries so far in the spring. Voit had knee surgery in New York. It was first noticed when he had trouble running the bases. An MRI revealed a partial meniscus tear. He is expected to be away from the team for at least another three to four weeks. His absence from the team has been costly hitting wise as well as his defense at first base. His replacement Jay Bruce has not been performing.
Zack Britton:
It was discovered that left-hand reliever Zack Britton has a bone chip in his elbow. He underwent surgery to have it removed on March 15. There is conflicting information on when fans may expect him to return. Some say six weeks; others say two to three months. Based on the worst-case scenarios, he will be back with the team sometime before the end of June. CBS Sports reports that he won’t be back before May 28th.
Clarke Schmidt:
The news on Clarke Schmidt’s elbow injury is not good. He experienced an extensor strain in his right elbow; it’s a common ailment and not long-term serious. Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Schmidt’s return to throwing could be “imminent.” However, no matter how minor, he will have to build back up for season play. He was put on the 60-day IL and was expected to be out until at least May 31st. The latest update from Aaron Boone is that he is doing well and might start throwing as early as this weekend. If all is successful, he may return sooner than originally thought.
The good news in all of this is that the last injury report had 8 Yankees on it. Justin Wilson, Michael Tauchman, and Aaron Judge are now back with the team and remain healthy.
