Luis Severino and Edwin Encarnacion: Faces Their First Challenges in Scranton

Jun 23, 2018; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) smiles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Luis Severino and Edwin Encarnacion of the New York Yankees, who are both progressing through rehab cautiously, were designated for a Minor League rehab assignment with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Sunday afternoon.

Severino only pitched 1.0 inning,  allowing 3 hits, 2 runs and struck out 2 batters on 33 pitches. 17 fastballs, 12 sliders, and 4 changeups were among his arsenal vs the Buffalo Bisons. Sevy was around the 94-96 MPH range with his fastball, 80-86 MPH with his slider and 89 MPH with his changeup.

Last season, Sevy accumulated a 3.39 ERA, 2.95 FIP, and a 1.14 WHIP, which are outstanding numbers. He also collected a 10.35 K/9, 2.16 BB/9 and a 0.89 HR/9 through 191.1 innings. Sevy has a long road to travel to replicate his previous season, but I have faith that he will be prepared when October shows its unpredictable face.

As for Encarnacion, he was designated as the DH role. Eddy went 1 for 4 on Sunday afternoon, including a hit by a pitch that resulted in an RBI. Before Eddy fractured his wrist, due to a hit by pitch vs the Boston Red Sox, back in early August, he was on an absolute shredding spree. Throughout the 2019 season, Eddy has accumulated a .240 AVG, .346 OBP and a .518 SLG, .359 wOBA and a 127 wRC+ in 101 games. He also has driven in 30 homers and 76 RBI in 451 plate appearances.

In his last 15 games, Eddy had acquired a .328 AVG, .414 OBP and a .541 SLG in 61 at-bats. Along with his phenomenal track record, both seasonal and career-wise, Eddy has sensational plate discipline and can generate quality at-bats consistently. His 12.6 walk percentage is among the top 20 in the majors and his 21.3 strikeout percentage isn’t mediocre by any means. Although his expected average isn’t in great shape, his exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, expected weighted on-base average and expected slugging are in excellent condition.