TAMPA — Luis Severino believed this yr was going to be totally different — his first absolutely wholesome season since 2018.
As a substitute, lower than per week earlier than Opening Day, Severino was recognized with one other “low-grade” lat pressure that’s anticipated to land him on the injured checklist to start the season.
Severino mentioned Sunday he won’t throw till he’s pain-free, which suggests an inexact timeline for when he would possibly return to the Yankees rotation.
However he mentioned even when he must miss three or 4 begins, he doesn’t count on this to be as extreme because the lat pressure that price him two months final season.
“I assumed this was the yr I used to be going to be — my first yr the entire yr when there aren’t any accidents,” Severino mentioned. “However one thing occurred. Hopefully it’s higher to occur now than occur within the center or finish of the season. Hopefully that is it and if I miss, even three or 4 begins, after that, if I could be good for the remainder of the season, I’d be blessed.”
Severino was sad with the Yankees final season once they transferred him from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to provide him extra time to construct again from the lat pressure.
When requested Sunday if he’ll take his rehab slower due to his prolonged damage historical past, Severino mentioned it received’t strictly be his resolution.
“You understand how the Yankees are,” he mentioned. “They’re all the time fairly cautious about this sort of stuff. So even when I wished to hurry it, they’re not going to let me do it. You understand how the Yankees are. After all, I’m going to be slightly bit cautious, however I feel the Yankees are going to be extra cautious than me.”
Severino, who’s enjoying this yr on a $15 million crew choice, mentioned he’s feeling “slightly higher every single day.
He was hopeful that the tightness — which is decrease in his again than final yr’s lat pressure, he mentioned — would subside “in a pair days.”
Nonetheless, he doesn’t know why his lat has grow to be a difficulty once more for the third time in his profession.
“Truly I used to be feeling nice, even the day that I began [last Tuesday],” Severino mentioned. “So I don’t know if I did one thing mistaken within the sport or what prompted that to occur. Hopefully this goes away and we will begin pitching once more.”