Yankees pitcher Luis Severino wasn’t trying to hide the displeasure he had over the team’s decision to place him on the 60-day injured list the day before.
Severino stood at his locker on Tuesday and told reporters how he was surprised by the organization’s decision to place him on the IL after his first throwing session went “pretty good” on Monday. The right-hander had been under the impression that he would be back sooner, but now he won’t be eligible to return until mid-September.
Severino said that he didn’t feel any discomfort, but stopped short of saying he was fully healthy.
“I was not happy. I was not expecting that,” Severino said. “If that’s the plan that they have for me to come back healthy I have to just follow that plan and work hard to come back soon.”
The Yankees pitcher was told on Monday of the new plan that the team had for him to return from a strained lat and Severino spoke to manager Aaron Boone on Tuesday. Asked whether Boone was aware of Severino’s displeasure he responded, “I think he knows.”
Severino is expected to return as a starter in mid-September with him able to get about five starts in before the playoffs begin. The emphasis was really put on that when the Yankees traded Jordan Montgomery just before the trade deadline.
“The bottom line is we want to get Sevy back in the rotation,” Boone said. “This timeline allows for still probably four or five, six starts at the back end of the season and hopefully hitting the ground because he’s built up to a point from start one. To where he’s pitching full bore for us. Because we think he’s going to be an intricate part in any playoff run that we hope to go on.”
Boone and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman both acknowledged that Severino was caught off guard by the decision. The Yankees skipper described it as a move that came down quickly.
“I acknowledge without a doubt he was caught off guard,” Cashman said. “When we tried to walk through it with him with the calendar … he didn’t want to look at it. I think he’s a competitor. He just wants to pitch, but he’s not capable of pitching yet. It’s going to take time to get him back on line. We both wish he was healthy right now, both wish he was capable, but he’s not.”
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Part of the decision also came from a roster standpoint as the Yankees had to make room for several of their new deadline acquisitions. The move to put him on the IL for 60 days helped elevate a spot on the active roster.
Severino is 5-3 this season in 16 starts with a 3.45 ERA in 86 innings pitched.
