The New York Yankees delivered an impressive performance on Monday night without calling upon a starting pitcher. Regular bullpen pitcher, Jimmy Cordero, began the game and provided the Yankees with two scoreless innings before passing the ball to Jhony Brito. Despite a few tense moments in the eighth inning due to an error by Gleyber Torres, this strategy proved to be highly effective.
Ultimately, the Yankees managed to secure a crucial victory, a much-needed boost for their AL East comeback. After recently splitting a series with the Tampa Bay Rays without making any notable progress, the Yankees’ offense is now producing runs at an exciting pace.
If the Yanks can combine their explosive offense with exceptional starting pitching, they could potentially turn the season around sooner rather than later. The return of one of their star pitchers should undoubtedly aid in this endeavor.
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Luis Severino is set to return to the Yankees soon:
Recently, Luis Severino had his first rehab assignment with Scranton. His fastball reached 98 mph, he threw 49 pitches, allowed one run, one walk, and struck out three batters over 3.1 innings. This successful outing sets up Severino for a more significant rehab assignment on Tuesday.
According to the YES Network, Severino could potentially rejoin the Yankees as early as Sunday, offering the team a leading starter in the rotation against the Cincinnati Reds. Amidst a divisional comeback, with three more games against Toronto and a three-game series against Baltimore next week, the Yankees have the potential to rise swiftly in the standings and reclaim one of the top spots in the division, despite their already respectable 24–19 record.
After an excellent 2022 season, Severino was poised to make a similar impact. For the first time since 2018, he pitched over 100 innings, with a 3.18 ERA, nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings, an 80% left-on-base rate, and a 44.3% ground ball rate. His efficiency and productivity will undoubtedly help address some of the major shortcomings in the rotation and hopefully alleviate some of the pressure on Nestor Cortés as the number two pitcher.
Carlos Rodon, in addition to Severino, is also on the road to recovery. He threw on Friday, Saturday, and again on Monday to begin the week. The cortisone injection he received in his back should greatly reduce the stiffness and pain from his recently diagnosed chronic condition.