The New York Yankees and GM Brian Cashman announced that starting pitching Luis Severino will likely undergo Tommy John surgery after feeling discomfort in his elbow following his final appearance in the 2019 postseason.
Severino had been feeling slight irritation in his elbow for months, and skipper Aaron Boone stated that it was likely a “loose body” that needed correcting. However, recent news changes his injury designation and the timetable to recover.
Severino already missed significant time in 2019 with a bevy of injuries and will now miss all of the 2020 regular season if he does succumb to Tommy John.
The Yankees’ starting pitcher flew up to New York for a second opinion on the matter, which is where he was recommended the surgery. Severino, who turned 26 on Thursday, will now sit for an extended period of time.
The two-time All-Star came off his best season in 2018 when he went 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA and 220 strikeouts in 191.1 innings. He then signed a four-year, $40 million extension one year ago, but he has thrown just 20.1 innings since then.