The unfortunate New York Yankees have once again been dealt a bad hand. Right-handed starting pitcher Luis Severino is likely to be sidelined with a lat strain, and he is the third starter to suffer an injury since the start of Spring Training.
Severino has had a history of ailments, having sustained the same injury last season and missing two months of action in 2022. The Yankees have decided to take a cautious approach with the talented home-grown pitcher, and he may begin the season on the Injured List.
Aaron Boone, the manager, commented on the situation, saying, “Sevy felt some tightness in there. Friday, he went out to throw, and that tightness was still there enough that we wanted to get it looked at.”
Since 2015, Severino has pitched in 122 games, starting 107 of them, and has a record of 50-29 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He missed the entirety of the 2020 season due to Tommy John surgery, and only appeared in four games in 2021.
The Yankees have had to manage a series of injuries since the beginning of spring training, with Frankie Montas, Carlos Rodon, Harrison Bader, and now Luis Severino all suffering from various ailments. Gerrit Cole will take the mound on Opening Day, but Severino was expected to pitch the second game.
Nestor Cortes, a left-handed pitcher, is expected to return to the rotation in early April and will replace Rodon and Severino if they miss any significant time. Another possible substitution is the right-handed Dievi Garcia, nicknamed “Little Pedro” due to his resemblance of Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez. He has had eight spot starts in the last two seasons and gone 3-4 with a 5.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
Matt Krook, Jhony Brito, Yoendrys Gomez, and Randy Vasquez are also potential starter options for the Yankees, with all four expected to start in Triple-A.
Although the Yankees are still favored to win the World Series at +750 and the AL East at +125, the betting markets have slightly favored the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays in recent weeks.
