Yankees right-hander Luis Severino had a rough night on Wednesday. He coughed up four runs on four hits and two walks in two innings of work, including allowing back-to-back-to-back homers to Kyle Farmer, Mike Moustakas and Stuart Fairchild of the Reds in the second inning.
Then, Severino took the mound for the third inning and appeared to not be able to get loose enough to continue. He walked off the mound before the start of the third inning, pulling himself from the game.
The Yankees have since announced that Severino exited the game with right shoulder tightness. His velocity was down around 94 for a decent portion of the start while he’s usually sitting in the 96 range, though it should be noted his final two fastballs were 96. Still, there’s enough here for concern moving forward. The Yankees have said he’ll have an MRI on the shoulder Thursday.
Severino has had shoulder issues in the past, specifically rotator cuff inflammation in 2019. He’s since had Tommy John surgery on his elbow.
Heading into Wednesday, Severino was 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 94 strikeouts against 23 walks in 84 innings this season. Given that he only had 18 innings pitched from 2019-21, this has been a very successful return to the rotation for him.
The Yankees have had the best record in baseball for a good portion of the season, and the rotation has been a huge part of it. Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes are All-Stars while Severino, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon are also having quality seasons. Domingo Germán is currently on a minor-league rehab assignment, and should Severino miss time, he’s a candidate to take over the rotation spot.
