Luis Severino made his long-awaited return to action for the New York Yankees in their 4-1 road win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Severino had been sidelined due to a right lat strain injury. He was activated off the injured list on Sunday, which came days after he allowed six hits and two earned runs over 3.2 innings pitched in a rehab start with Double-A Somerset.

Severino did not show any signs of rust during his time on the mound against the Reds, as he allowed four hits and one earned run in 4.2 innings pitched. He also tallied five strikeouts and threw 75 pitches in his first start of the 2023 season.

Severino garnered promising results from his changeup in the contest, as he generated three swinging strikes from the off-speed pitch against Cincinnati.

“I was finding the zone,” Severino said after the game. “Changeup was really good. Got some swings on the breaking ball.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was much pleased with Severino’s outing on the day.

“I thought he kept getting better,” Boone said after the game. “I thought his misses were good misses. … But I thought overall he was sharp.”

Severino is slated to next take the mound for the Yankees on May 26 when the reigning AL East champions will open up a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres.

The Yankees have won six out of their last seven games, and they currently sit in third place in the AL East standings with a 29-20 record.