Yankees get gut punch with news Severino is out for all of 2020
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The visiting clubhouse at TD Ballpark was quiet Tuesday. Word that Luis Severino would need Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2020 season had filtered through the dugout during their 4-1 win over the Blue Jays and it was like a punch to the gut.
“It can’t get any worse right? And it feels like it’s going that way already,” said Luke Voit. “It’s a frustrating day.”
Voit called it “crazy” to already be dealing with major injury issues, but said that it gives a young pitcher a chance to step up.
“Maybe their big league career is gonna start a little faster than normal,” Voit said, “but we need someone to be there for us.” Voit, who was one of a record 30 players who went on the injured list in 2019, came back to camp feeling healthy after surgery to repair a sports hernia. Severino missed all but the final weeks of the season with an injury. Now, with James Paxton having back surgery earlier this month and Severino going down, it’s a bit like deja vu all over again.
And for manager Aaron Boone, it hurt.
“With him missing much [of ] last year and and how tough that was on him, so my immediate reaction is just kind of feeling for him and wanting to check in with him and seeing how he’s doing,” Boone said.
Kyle Higashioka has been through the long, grueling rehab from Tommy John and can understand the frustration.
“It’s so sad, because I mean,
I’ve had Tommy John before and I don’t really know there’s anything you can do to prevent it. Like, in my experience, my arms feeling great and ligament just snapped one day,” the catcher said. “So it was like I know he’s really been fighting to get back on the field since last year and struggling with the shoulder thing. And like I’m sure he’s just devastated to hear the news that he’s going to spend another season out.”
JUDGE OUT UNTIL NEXT WEEK
Aaron Judge will not play in Grapefruit League games until
after the Monday off day, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday morning. The Bombers’ slugger is working his way back from right shoulder soreness which shut him down from throwing and hitting earlier this month.
“I would say no playing for sure this week,” Boone said before the Yankees took on the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. “I would say after the off day, I’ll probably have a good lay of the land about when we’re gonna get him in the game. Hopefully shortly thereafter.”
Judge increased the depth of his throwing program on Monday and Tuesday, playing catch at 120 feet. He is now hitting soft toss in the indoor batting cages and Boone expects him to take batting practice on the field before the end of the week.
Judge has expressed no concern about this affecting his start to the regular season. With 30 days before the Yankees open in Baltimore, they have plenty of time to get him the 30 to 60 at-bats he needs to be ready.
Boone is not concerned at this point.
“I feel like he’ll have plenty of time based on what we’re seeing day in and day out right now.”