BALTIMORE _ Six weeks after he was diagnosed with a strained right lat, Luis Severino had not begun his throwing program. The Yankees' ace is "close," manager Aaron Boone said before Wednesday's game against the Orioles at Camden Yards.
"He is moving toward starting to throw. Not quite there yet," Boone said. "Possibly when we get home."
Severino was initially shut down at the beginning of March with inflammation in his right rotator cuff. After he started his throwing program progression, he was then diagnosed with the Grade 2 lat strain, which is a partial tear of the muscle according to doctors.
The Yankees and Severino have not agreed on how the injury happened. He had an MRI in early March that showed the inflammation in the shoulder but no damage to the lat, according to Brian Cashman, who said that an MRI in early April showed the strain in the lat. Severino insists he felt this on the first day he was injured, warming up for his first Grapefruit League start when he tried to throw a slider.
Either way, it's hard to see Severino back before the end of July at this point. He will need an entire spring training-like ramp up to get ready, which is a five-to-six week ramp up without any setbacks. So after the All-Star break, the Yankees could be getting an All-Star caliber starter back in the rotation _ or they could be getting the Severino from the second half of 2018.
In his first 18 starts last year, the righty pitched 118 1/3 innings to a 1.98 ERA. He had a .195 batting average against, allowed just six home runs and averaged almost 10 strikeouts a game. That earned him an All-Star nod.
In an 11-start stretch at the end of the season, Severino pitched just 55 1/3 innings, going 4-5 with a 6.83 ERA and a surprising .323 batting average against. He allowed 13 homers in that span.
The Yankees signed Severino to a contract that bought out his arbitration years with an option for his first year of free agency this spring. They agreed to a deal that pays him $4 million with a $2 million bonus this season _ just one million more than the number he asked for in arbitration. He gets $10 million in 2020, $10.25 million in 2021 and $11 million in 2022. The club option is for $15 million with a $2.75 million buyout.
