Yankees’ Luis Severino to Miss 2020 Season After Elbow Surgery

“I don’t want to sugarcoat the fact that being without Sevy, that’s a blow,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the team’s spring training game in Dunedin, Fla. “But it doesn’t change our expectations and what we’re truly capable of. No, nothing changes.”

The Yankees had been counting on Severino to help form a stout rotation this year, along with Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ. To shore up their rotation, which was arguably their biggest weakness last season, the Yankees signed Cole to a record nine-year, $324 million deal this off-season.

Last season, Severino made only three regular-season starts, plus two more in the postseason, because of a shoulder ailment and a mysterious latissimus dorsi injury. Still, the Yankees won 103 games without Severino (or Cole) thanks to their depth, which again will be tested.

Paxton is out until about May because of a lower back operation he had on Feb. 5. A typical recovery from Tommy John surgery lasts 12 to 15 months, so Severino might miss some of next season, too.

In the meantime, Jordan Montgomery, in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, is likely to fill one rotation spot. The other could go to an unproven youngster such as Deivi Garcia, Jonathan Loaisiga, Michael King or Clarke Schmidt until the return of Paxton or Domingo German, who will miss the first 63 games of the season because of his suspension for violating M.L.B.’s domestic violence policy.

The injuries to Severino, Paxton and outfielder Aaron Judge (whose spring training has been delayed by right shoulder soreness) may feel like a cruel reminder of 2019. Last season, the Yankees set a major league record, with 30 different players landing on the injured list. As a result, they restructured their player health and performance staff, bringing in new experts from outside the organization and shifting around some on the inside.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/sports/baseball/luis-severino-tommy-john.html