The New York Yankees are off to a roaring start in 2022 but were just dealt a setback ahead of an important AL East rivalry clash with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees announced that starting pitcher Luis Severino would not be making his scheduled start against the Rays on Thursday and had been placed on the COVID-19 list. Instead, Clarke Schmidt is expected to take the mound for the Yankees in the series finale.

The loss of Severino is a significant blow for the Yankees. The hard-throwing right-hander has enjoyed a bounce-back season after dealing with injuries for much of the last three years. Since the start of the 2019 season, Severino had thrown a total of 18.0 innings, but has looked sharp in his return.

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In 2022, Severino has started 11 games, logging a 6-1 record with a 2.80 ERA, 71 strikeouts, 15 walks, and a 1.03 WHIP across 61.0 innings on the mound. He's been one of the most reliable arms in what is arguably baseball's best starting rotation.

With Severino out for Thursday's game, and potentially a bit longer, the Yankees selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Weber from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, signing him to a Major League deal and adding him to the 26-man roster. Clarke Schmidt will get the ball to start the game, which could mean the Yankees will be forced to use a significant amount of relievers on Thursday, should he struggle to pitch deep into the game.

The Yankees are finishing up their series against the Rays on Thursday before heading to Toronto for a three-game set. They'll then travel to Tampa to take on the Rays again, this time at Tropicana Field, in another three-game series, at which point Severino will hopefully be back in action.