The Yankees' would-be ace, Luis Severino, hasn't been able to throw a competitive pitch all season and that doesn't look likely to change any time soon. He's been down with shoulder and lat issues, and the hope was that he would be able to return sometime in July, but there's been yet another setback.
Luis Severino has not been able to throw off a mound yet. He was shut down due to soreness and had another MRI. Aaron Boone said Severino’s lat is 90 percent healed but he won’t throw until it is 100 percent.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 29, 2019
Boone, per Hoch, further told reporters that it'll be another five-to-seven days before Severino attempts to throw again. It's a long process once a starter can throw off a mound. He needs to have a few sessions there, followed by a rehab stint where he builds up arm strength and stamina. At this rate, seeing Severino before August would be a shock. We're honestly getting close to the point of it being a lost season.
Severino, 25, was 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 220 strikeouts in 191 1/3 innings last season. He was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in his first 18 starts but posted a 5.67 ERA in his last 14 and then was inefficient in the AL Wild Card Game before being shelled in the ALDS by the Red Sox.
Regardless, he has a lot of talent and would figure to be one of the Yankees' best pitchers. They've survived without him to build a seven-game lead in the AL East, but surely they could use his arm come the playoffs.
Severino signed a four-year, $40 million extension this past offseason. That figures to be very club-friendly, assuming he can get back on the mound.
