The New York Yankees need reliable starters, and that is no secret. Pitching is the name of the game, and having an ace or two can really make things easier for a manager. In the case of Aaron Boone, he has a real good one in Gerrit Cole, but the team’s pitching depth was put to test last season, and it wasn’t always a smooth ride.
The New York Yankees were forced to use J.A. Happ in an important postseason start (well, as you probably recall, it was actually a bulk relief appearance) and rely on rookie Deivi Garcia, who wasn’t bad at all, but it’s not the most desirable scenario.
As Domingo German is set to return from suspension and Jordan Montgomery will be a steady presence in the rotation, the Yankees need one or two additional arms, since Happ, Masahiro Tanaka, and James Paxton are all free agents. One of those arms could potentially be Luis Severino, but he has to complete rehab from Tommy John surgery.
The Yankees are expecting him to contribute in 2021
Recently, the Yankees said that they will take things slow with Sevy and let him complete his rehab at his pace, but he’s expected back at some point in June or July.
Severino is now nine months removed from his Tommy John surgery, and thankfully, everything is going well for him according to the team. In June or July, he would be 14-15 months removed from his procedure.
Yankees’ skipper Aaron Boone had this to say about him on the latest edition of the YES Network’s Yankees Hot Stove:
“He had surgery in February, so typically with Tommy John you’re out 12 to 15 months, 12 to 16. We’ll certainly be conservative when we’re dealing with anyone, but especially a guy that’s as valuable and as important as Luis is to our team.
“It’s going according to plan. He’s throwing. He’s not on a mound yet, but I think that’s moving in the direction that it should and I’m looking forward to him playing a big part for us in this upcoming season.â€
The Bombers are expecting him to be an asset for the second half of the season.