Luis Severino’s latest injury woe brings concern for Yankees bullpen

Joel Sherman

MLB

From Joel Sherman

March 25, 2023 | 6:08 p.m

TAMPA — Luis Severino is a theory of a difference starter. A joke. A coming attraction for a film that never comes.

Equal parts talented and fragile.

When he failed to throw his scheduled bullpen session on Friday and the Yankees veiled when asked why — saying something about the regular-season lineup being postponed — suspicion should have been high. Because the Yankees will never lead the league in transparency. Also, this is now Deja Lu(is), year 5, where Severino is more defined by MRIs than ERA.

The Yankees came clean on Saturday morning. Aaron Boone said Severino has what the manager described as low lat load. He and pitching coach Matt Blake both indicated the problem was caught early and wasn’t serious, and while a stint with an injury list is definitely on the cards, expect Severino not to miss much time.

Let’s just say I’m betting on the over with this player, this organization and this position.

Severino is slow to heal and takes breaks often – his next start of the regular season will be just his 23rd in the last five seasons. Jacob deGrom is compared to the pitching Cal Ripken Jr.

And what worries the Yankees is a worst-case scenario that is beginning to emerge. Behind long-lived ace Gerrit Cole, the Yankees rallied fragility and lack of depth and, shockingly, endured fragility and lack of depth. What was looming as an Achilles arm that could keep the Yankees from repeating themselves as AL East champions will be revealed ahead of the season opener.

All of the Yankees’ scheduled starters, aside from Cole, have already been injured. Nestor Cortes (hamstrings) is the only one currently on the starting line. Damaged goods star Frankie Montas has had to have shoulder surgery and is at best a second-half consideration. Carlos Rodon has a lot in common with Severino – two good seasons with an injury ditch. And now the Yankees are hoping both won’t be far behind this season.

Trading for Montas and a few others in recent years, the Yankees made heavy use of top-lever pitching. A select few, such as Hayden Wesneski (Cubs) and JP Sears and Ken Waldichuk (athletics), are expected to be in season-opening rotations this year. The Yankees’ base this season was essentially Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt, both of whom are already on the rotation with Montas and Rodon injured. Instead of Severino, Schmidt will now start the second game of the season.

The Yankees need a fifth starter starting in Game 6. You could start with a bullpen game. Boone has picked Jhony Brito (who is scheduled to start Sunday against the Blue Jays) as the next in line since camp began. Yoendrys Gomez has impressed the Yankees and Scouts with his growth this spring. Randy Vasquez threw four shutout innings against the Phillies’ “A” lineup on Saturday.

Can the Yankees trade for help? Anthony Volpe delivered three more hits from the field on Saturday, two against Phillies co-ace Aaron Nola. He won the starting shortstop job fairly resolutely — another issue the Yankees aren’t transparent about. It gives the Yankees more reason to trade Gleyber Torres for pitching depth and bring Oswald Peraza to the majors as well, or even consider using Peraza for a bigger deal. This is not a season that comes with deals. The Yankees made four significant trades from the start of spring to the start of the season last year, but that followed a lockdown that halted much of the usual off-season business.

However, last April they had fought Thairo Estrada, received Rougned Odor and finalized a Mike Tauchman-Wandy Peralta exchange with the Giants that the teams negotiated in spring training.

When asked if the Yankees are using their midfield to improve rotation, an NL executive wrote, “Decent chances of that.” An AL counterpart replied, “Generally, teams that get to this point take things into the season and let them play out…but teams aren’t usually three starting pitchers down.”

Severino made it three. No surprise. The spring of 2019 proved disastrous for the Yankees. They strayed from their usual ways to pursue pre-free agency renewals with Aaron Hicks (seven years, $70 million) and Severino (five years, $52.5 million with his option). These contracts define money for nothing. Philadelphia signed an extension (five years, $56.75 million with his option) on the same day the Yankees signed Severino in February 2019 to avoid arbitration.

Since then, Nola has led the majors in regular season starts with 110 — literally five times more than Severino. Philadelphia baseball operations president Dave Dombrowski told Phillies Beat Writers Saturday that the two sides have ended extension negotiations until after this season, when Nola will be a free agent. Severino will be too. Will Severino even have 19 quality starts in 2023 like he did last year, enticing the Yankees to pick his $15 million option?

Picking up the option preserved Severino’s talent but also kept the teasing. The Yankees’ rotation has significant advantages and frightening disadvantages. What will we see the most of in 2023?