Heading to the 15 Day Injured List
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday afternoon after leaving his start on Wednesday night after only two innings due to a low grade right lat strain, the Yankees announced.
Ryan Weber was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace Severino on the active roster. Reliever Jonathan Loáisiga was also activated on Thursday, returning from a shoulder injury; he took the place of lefty JP Sears, who was optioned following Wednesday night’s extra-innings victory.
On Wednesday, Severino awoke with tightness in his shoulder, hoping it would loosen up throughout the day leading up to first pitch that evening. After two innings of work and four runs allowed (including back-to-back home runs in the second), Severino was relieved and walked off the field.
If general manager Brian Cashman wants, he can attack the starting pitcher market before next month’s deadline. Names like Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo, Oakland’s Frankie Montas and more have been linked to the Yankees interest. Other second-tier arms could do the trick as well, costing New York fewer prospects to acquire.
Either way, with Severino’s injury history, the Yankees can only hope this doesn’t derail Severino’s season. When healthy, the right-hander can be an electric asset near the top of New York’s rotation, a pitcher that could play a key role in the playoffs. Leading up to Wednesday’s outing, Severino had a 3.11 ERA in 15 starts.
This team still needs to keep a close eye on Severino even when he does return from this lat strain, though. The starter is in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, already throwing almost five times as many frames as he threw from 2019 to 2021.
