Yankees starter Luis Severino was scratched from today’s game — his first scheduled spring training game — after he left the field during warmups with “right shoulder discomfort.” The Yankees said that he wouldl undergo further examination and evaluation this afternoon, including an MRI.
He’s had his MRI and the news, while not terrible, is not great either: Severino has been diagnosed with “rotator cuff inflammation” and will be shut down for two weeks. Given that he has yet to pitch in a spring training game, and given that Opening Day is just over three weeks away, that makes him “high unlikely” to be ready to start the season according to manager Aaron Boone.
The Yankees are lacking in starting pitching depth. If Severino’s injury proves more troublesome and requires more than a two week rest, they could have some problems on their hands.
Severino just signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension which will take him through the 2022 season, with a club option for the 2023 season. He finished ninth in AL Cy Young Award balloting last season, going 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA and a 220/46 K/BB ratio in 191 1/3 innings. He also finished third in AL Cy Young Award balloting in 2017.
