Yankees ace Luis Severino needs Tommy John surgery
New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino needs Tommy John surgery, according to general manager Brian Cashman.
Brian Cashman announces that Luis Severino needs Tommy John surgery: pic.twitter.com/oHa1StBW1f
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 25, 2020
Severino, 26, felt discomfort in his forearm after pitching on Feb. 20, which manager Aaron Boone said dated back to his final start against the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The pain had been affecting him on and off since then, and the Yankees actually sent him to New York twice during the offseason for an MRI and a CT scan. Neither showed any issues.
The Yankees shut Severino down once he felt the pain, and he traveled to New York to be examined by a doctor and undergo a battery of tests. Unfortunately, the result is a recommendation of Tommy John surgery.
Severino has a history of past injuries, which makes the latest news so frustrating. He spent most of 2019 out of service, dealing with both shoulder and lat problems. He pitched 12 innings in the regular season (ending with a 1.50 ERA) and 8.1 innings in the playoffs. He allowed no runs in four innings in the American League Division Series, and two runs over 4.1 innings in the ALCS. He has a 3.46 ERA over five major league seasons.
Cashman said that Severino will get the surgery as soon as possible. No official timetable will be available until he has the surgery, but pitchers who have Tommy John typically need a full year to recover. That means Severino will miss the entire 2020 season, and would likely be healed and ready to pitch competitively for the 2021 season.
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