The New York Yankees are looking ahead to the postseason after dropping their eighth of nine contests on Friday. Needing their star closer, Clay Holmes, to finish the job, he was unable to conclude the game and provide the Yankees with a much-needed win.
The offense did nothing to help the team secure victory, but the Bombers will look ahead to Saturday as an opportunity to snap the cold streak and start fresh against a struggling Boston team.
However, as we look ahead toward the playoffs, the Yankees are expected to be much healthier, bringing back two impact pitchers.
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Yankees should get two impact pitchers back for the playoffs:
1.) Luis Severino
The Yankees recently placed Luis Severino on the 60-day injured list, which upset the veteran starter. Severino believed he could return much earlier, but general manager Brian Cashman wanted to give more reps to other players who needed to prove their reliability for the playoffs.
In the same breath, Severino will now be 100% healthy to contribute down the stretch. This season, he has a 3.45 ERA, 3.47 xFIP, 9.94 strikeouts per nine, 81.2% left on base rate and 43% ground ball rate over 86 innings pitched. Having missed the majority of the last three years, it’s great to see Severino bouncing back at 28 years old, clearly showing he’s capable of producing at a high level.
Severino utilizes a 4-seam fastball, change-up, and slider as his primary pitches. This season, his fastball is averaging out at 96.1 mph with a .204 batting average against. However, his slider has been his most lethal pitch, generating a .171 average, 42,3% whiff rate, and 30.8% put away rate.
If Boone doesn’t utilize him in the playoff rotation, he would likely serve as an elite-level bullpen arm who can cover multiple innings if need be.
Currently nursing a shoulder injury, Sevy hasn’t thrown off a mound yet but threw from distance on Friday of 120 feet. He will throw his first bullpen session on Monday, starting the rehabilitation process.
2.) Zack Britton
The hope is that Zack Britton can contribute to the Yankees in some way down the stretch as a rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
Several days ago, he threw a 19-pitch batting practice but is now resting and gearing up for another bullpen session in the coming days. Boone has indicated he’s doing well, and his sinker looks great, so we should see Zack in September at some point. Getting Britton some reps to see if he can contribute during the post-season is a necessity.