Yankees’ Jhony Brito throws perfect outing in audition for spot in rotation

Jhony Brito wasn’t giving the Yankees any chances not to give him the job as the fifth starter in the rotation during Sunday’s spring training start against the Toronto Blue Jays,

Brito pitched 5.1 innings without giving up a single hit or allowing any batter to reach base. The Yanks starter struck out three batters and got another 10 to ground out before Boone took him out of the game in the top of the sixth inning to a standing ovation.

The Yankees won the game 6-2.

The game likely served as his audition for the final spot in the Yankees’ rotation now that Luis Severino is expected to start the year on the injured list. Brito was one of the names Boone had mentioned on Saturday as a possible replacement for Severino and after Sunday’s game he told reporters that Brito could start the third game of the year.

The outing likely gave the Yankees a little bit more ease about potentially using the 25-year-old in the starting rotation. He had a 2.96 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A last season, but has no major league experience.

The Bombers have liked what they’ve seen out of the righty thus far in spring training. He had a 3.12 ERA this spring going into Sunday’s start and he struck out 10 batters in 8.2 innings.

“I think he’s done a nice job so far (this spring),” pitching coach Matt Blake told the New York Post over the weekend. “He throws a lot of strikes, he attacks the zone, he’s got some pitches to get [left-handed] hitters out with a good changeup. It’s a good opportunity for him.”

All of this is coming after the Yankees revealed that Severino had a low-grade lat strain that will most likely put him on the IL. He dealt with a similar injury last season that kept him out for two months.

Injuries have hampered him for the past two seasons and he told reporters on Sunday that he thought this year he could avoid a lot of those issues.

“I thought this was going to be a year with no injuries,” Severino said, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “Hopefully it’s better to happen now than at the middle or the end of the season. If that means (missing) three or four starts, after that, I can be good for the rest of the season. I’d be blessed.”