Sevy on brink of long-awaited return
Luis Severino hasn’t pitched for the Yankees in nearly two years, but the rehabbing righty is set to be activated off the injured list in the coming days, perhaps as early as Monday, Aaron Boone said Sunday. Severino underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in February 2020, missing all of last season and most of this one, with groin and shoulder issues also postponing his return this year. The Yankees view him as a bullpen option for the remainder of the season and the playoffs, if they qualify as a wild card. “Sevy’s likely to come with us next and we’ll just see if that’s in the next day or two or not,” Boone said before Sunday’s 11-1 loss to Cleveland at the Stadium. “His last live outing was two [innings] and 35 [pitches], so kind of view him as anything from an inning in some situations to possibly two- or three-innings scenarios that I think he’ll be able to handle.”
Severino faced batters for the first time Friday since he was shut down with shoulder tightness prior to an August rehab start. Pitching coach Matt Blake said Severino’s fastball registered at 96 mph during the batting-practice session against Rougned Odor and Tyler Wade.
“We think we’ve seen him get off the mound enough times. The quality of his stuff was there the other day,” Blake said. “The velo was there on the fastball. The shapes were pretty consistent, so I think at this point with some of the timing of where we are at this point of the season, what are we going to learn from more rehab outings?
“We want to get him back in a major league environment and see how it goes and make some adjustments off that.”
Severino isn’t likely to pitch on back-to-back days initially, Blake added. Boone also said he doesn’t plan to use the two-time All-Star as an opener down the stretch.
“I’d never say never. But hopefully moving forward we’ve got our four or five starters that have been pitching in rotation and we feel good about,” Boone said. “I guess if you get down towards the end and you get into a playoff scenario, anything is possible.
“But first things first is getting him back and getting him in a big league game at some point.
Domingo German (shoulder) also is close to returning after throwing two innings (one run) in relief Saturday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Boone said. “It’s a good chance his next [outing] could be with us.”
Asked what bullpen roles he envisions for German, Boone replied, “Potentially all of it. I think you understand our situation, and it’s whoever gives us the best chance in different situations. Sevy could be in those roles, as well. We’ll just try each night [to decide] who gives us the best chance. They could be in a ton of different roles down there.”