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TAMPA — The last time Luis Severino got ready to start a spring training game, he was scratched after feeling shoulder discomfort — part of a litany of injuries that sidelined the right-hander for the better part of three seasons.
That outing was scheduled to be against the Braves in 2019, and Severino said it was on his mind as he prepared for Sunday’s start against the Tigers.
“I thought about it all over again,’’ Severino said.
“Today, I felt more nervous than [when I was a rookie] in 2015. I haven’t pitched in spring training since 2018, so whatever the result was, I was gonna be happy.”
As he attempts to rejoin the Yankees rotation, Severino insisted he wasn’t especially concerned with the fact he allowed four runs in two innings during his first Grapefruit League start of this year because his arm felt fine.
“My arm is feeling good,’’ Severino said after the Yankees lost to Detroit, 8-7, at Steinbrenner Field. “The results weren’t that good, but the good thing is I’m feeling healthy. That was the main thing.”
There were some positive signs, as Severino hit 98 mph and consistently threw his fastball in the mid-90s.
On the flip side, his location needs some work. He walked Robbie Grossman on four pitches to open the game and gave up four hits, including a homer to Grossman on a slider he left over the plate. Javier Baez ripped a double on a changeup that Severino wasn’t pleased with.
Severino — like the rest of the starting pitchers in the league — doesn’t have as much time as usual to get ready for Opening Day, thanks to the shortened spring training that was caused by the MLB lockout.
Still, Severino said he’s close enough to being in good form that he has enough time to work out the kinks.
“If I have four outings, that’s good enough for me,’’ Severino said.
Scouts in attendance Sunday said he didn’t look as sharp as he did in the latter part of last season — when he allowed one run in 7 ¹/₃ innings over five appearances, including the wild-card game — but that experience should help him pick up quickly.
Aaron Boone agreed.
“To come back and pitch well down the stretch [last year] was good for him,’’ the manager said.
Then there’s the issue of Severino’s lack of work over the past three seasons, when he’s pitched just 19 ¹/₃ innings since the beginning of the 2019 season, shelved by Tommy John surgery and a myriad of setbacks.
The Yankees have declined to say publicly if they will place an innings limit on Severino, other than to acknowledge the fact that he’ll be monitored.
Boone pointed out Sunday, though, that Jameson Taillon, who was coming off nearly two lost seasons a year ago, was able to pitch more than the Yankees expected because he held up well throughout the season.
But Severino and the Yankees are looking for more than just volume from the pitcher who got Cy Young Award votes in 2017 and 2018.
“I have high expectations for [Severino],’’ Boone said. “I’m not gonna put a cap on what he can do. He’s been a great pitcher in this league. I won’t be surprised by anything he does.”
With Gerrit Cole as the No. 1, Severino, Taillon and Jordan Montgomery are all capable of pitching near the top of the rotation.
Now they just need Severino to find the form he did last season.
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