New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino was shut down indefinitely on Thursday due to right forearm soreness, a malady he suffered last spring that eventually turned into a lat issue which forced him to miss nearly the entire regular season.
The injury further depletes New York's rotation, which will already be without James Paxton (back) and Domingo German (suspension) at the start of the season (via Ken Davidoff of the New York Post):
Aaron Boone said Thursday that Severino, the Yankees’ important right-handed starter, has been shut down due to right forearm soreness. Severino, 25, also has a loose body in his right elbow, the manager added, and suddenly a real possibility exists that the Yankees will open the season without Severino as well as James Paxton (back surgery), who will be out until at least May and the suspended Domingo German, who is eligible to return on June 5 after completing his 81-game sentence (started with 18 games last year) for domestic violence offenses.
The Yankees hope to have team physician Christopher Ahmad examine Severino here on Friday.
The Yankees looked to have a strong rotation when they signed top free-agent starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, but now Cole finds himself on an island as New York's other arms are stacking up on the shelf.
Severino's recent injury history is concerning. Although he returned to pitch in the postseason last year, he apparently aggravated his pitching arm. He had multiple MRIs in the offseason, but he returned to camp and was throwing off flat ground. For whatever reason, the pain seems to stem from Severino's use of the changeup, according to Davidoff.
Whether this is a mechanical fix or a glaring red flag in terms of Severino's durability, the Yankees will be forced to deploy a number of depth starters at the beginning of the year.
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