The Yankees announced they’ve placed starter Luis Severino on the 15-day injured list due to a low-grade strain of his right lat. Righty Ryan Weber was selected onto the big league club in his place. New York also reinstated reliever Jonathan Loáisiga from the 15-day IL, optioning JP Sears to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night to clear a roster spot. New York already had a 40-man roster vacancy after designating Weber for assignment last week, a job he’ll now reassume.
Severino left last night’s start against the Reds with shoulder tightness. He’d dealt with slightly diminished velocity and was sent for an MRI this morning. That revealed some degree of injury to his lat, though the Yankees’ specification that it’s a low-grade strain is seemingly a positive development. New York hasn’t provided any specifics on a timetable for his return, but he’ll at least miss a start or two coming out of the All-Star Break.
It’s the first time all season the Yankees are dealing with an injury to one of their top five starters. Severino had joined Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon in staying healthy to this point. Depth starter Luis Gil was lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery, but New York seems likely to welcome back Domingo Germán coming out of the Break. Out all season due to shoulder concerns, Germán has been on a minor league rehab assignment for the past few weeks. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Lindsey Adler of the Athletic) the righty will make another start with Scranton tomorrow, but he could be in consideration for activation not long thereafter.
Weber rejoins the active roster as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. The journeyman has been on and off the roster a couple times, twice soaking up some frames of relief but being DFA quickly thereafter. Weber has spent the majority of the year with the RailRiders, pitching to a 2.55 ERA through 24 2/3 innings. He has a modest 18.8% strikeout rate in the minors, but he’s walked only one of 101 batters faced while inducing ground-balls at a solid 47.4% clip. That’s also been the general trend over Weber’s parts of eight seasons in the majors — excellent control and a fair number of grounders but below-average velocity and whiff rates.
Hope Johnny Lasagna is his old self! Bullpen could use a shot in the arm. Worried about Severino.
On another subject, please find a place to send Joey Gallo. Trade him release him and bring up Estevan Florial!!
Or bring up Andujar. He has looked good in the field. I don’t worry so much about his bat. Bouncing up and down without consistent playing time makes it hard to put up very good numbers.
Joe,
Wouldn’t mind seeing Andujar either, but if they off themselves of Gallo they will need another centerfielder with the injury to Hicks.
Hopefully Hicks isn’t in bad shape. I heard the x-rays were negative.
He should be fine based on what I’ve read, but I think we all know that when Hicks does get injured he seems to take a while to return. I’m not talking about TJS, but some of his soft-tissue and oblique injuries he’s had. Some players mend quicker. He has said he plans to play this weekend, so early indications are fine. I was very concerned when he slammed his fist on the ground after fouling the ball off his leg. That wasn’t a pain reaction. That was a reaction a player gives when he thinks he might have suffered a significant injury.
That said, I wouldn’t have minded if they IL’d Hicks, since he would have been eligible to return shortly after the All-Star break, and in the meantime, took a look at Florial, who has had a strong season in Scranton. Not to replace Hicks, but maybe to replace Gallo!
My sentiments exactly!!!
Post refers to RobM’s post!!
There is a place for Gallo its in Scranton PA where he belongs
Isn’t this the same injury that sidelined him for a whole year? Not good
He had rotator cuff inflammation and a lat strain with the former being more serious.
Anyone know Castillo’s vax status?
Question for any Angels fans: How has Thor looked this year?
Like he lost his hammer.
Not 100% sure German will be the pitcher activated. He’s still building arm strength and his velocity is down. His rehab assignment ends shortly, might even be Friday, but he has a minor league option remaining. Teams don’t like sending veterans back to the minors, but German hasn’t exactly earned the benefit. Quite possible they option German and recall Clarke Schmidt while German continues to stretch out and build velocity.
I thought they might use the IL of Severino as a way to immediately recall Sears, but no matter. They can recall him in 10 days, which is next weekend, coming out of the All-Star break. One new consideration this year. Teams can only option pitchers up and down five times (I believe it’s five times) or they have to expose the player to waivers where he can be claimed by other teams. Sears will be claimed. I think he’s been optioned three times already, although I’m hoping it’s only two. If it’s three that means he can only be optioned one more time this year, which means they’d have to keep him on the big league roster the rest of the season.. Maintaining flexibility with pitchers like Sears is part of their value. They’ll eventually start leaning more on Schmidt and German.
First one was in April and does not count. Still has three options left. Btw after the 5th one you can still be recalled one last time at which point you need to stay on the active roster.
Thanks for the clarification. They’ll need that the second half.
Ryan Weber Carries a gas can out of the bullpen. He is brutal
Yes, it is Ryan ‘Cy’ Weber to the rescue!
I don’t get that joke
Flaherty had the same injury last year and it was 2 months. At least the Yankees get Serverino back at the middle of Sept.
Severino had 18 innings on his arm, the last three years combined, heading in to this season. How many IP should he be expected to pitch this season ? There’s probably no precedent for the amount he’s already thrown.
Juan soto please
Hal seems determined to be different from his dad in all but one thing: the military school grooming rules.
If they lose out on Castillo because he understandably doesn’t want to cut his hair . . . *#@%*&!!!
Tell the truth: as a Yankee fan, aren’t you half-expecting that this team is going to go into a protracted slide, limp into the postseason, and get knocked out in the early going? This team is not the 1998 Yankees. It’s easier for me to imagine this team falling short again than to see them win a World Series. The performance of the rotation in the first months was near-miraculous, as was the health of the roster. But the weakness of relying on a rotation in which most of the starters weren’t stretched out could be overlooked only for so long.
Astros will definitely beat the Yankees in the playoffs like the last 3 or 4 seasons. Another thing to mention is Judge is playing so stellar because it’s his contract year; he’s hardly ever been this healthy since his rookie season
If the Yankees don’t add at least one strong starter to the rotation, it’s hard to see them going deep into the playoffs, I’m afraid. I can’t see several of their starting pitchers who’ve thrown so few innings in the last couple of years being able to last that long.
Sorry to say I agree with you Fink. Concerned that team will continue their slide against the Red Sox and then lose the DH in Houston after the break. Next 5 games Very important!!! Sure hope we’re Wong!!!!
@Fink I’m a little bit optimistic. The Yankees starters and relievers have overachieved and I think we’re seeing a bit of negative regression. It’s unrealistic to think that they can sustain playing .700 ball with zero major injuries over the course of the season. I do agree that this team needs another reliable healthy starter. I’ll still stand by the notion that the hottest team in playoffs takes the cake. No one had expected the Braves to win last year.
I am worried as we are losing to teams that we should not lose to and giving up runs late in the game. That looks like a slide. Meanwhile “Cheaters” keep winning.
Guess who has the highest OPS, ISO, SLG, wOBA and wRC+ in baseball and the third-highest batting average? Yup. That would be Matt Carpenter. His wRC+ is 255. Unreal.
I doubt I’m the only one to notice that Judge’s slump seems to coincide with his “lower body” problems, for which they’ve been resting him. Of course I really like the guy, but I’m starting to think the Yankees may have dodged a bullet when he turned down their offer. Betting on him staying healthy enough to do much more than DH on a long-term contract seems more and more like a long shot. I’ll hate to see him leave, but if they’re going to hand out a massive contract, it might make more sense to target a younger player who isn’t already suffering physical limitations. It might even turn out that betting on himself this year wasn’t a good bet. One more IL stint could throw a wrench in his free agency plans.
The Angels will happily give him 300M for 10 years, regardless of if they finish in 4th place every season with declining former MVPs
If he gets hurt again, I wouldn’t bet on it. Besides, they have to pay Ohtani to stay and they have to fill their chronic need — starting pitching. They’re already in deep with Trout’s contract.
I get the feeling Ohtani is going to sign with another team
Hate to say it but I think you’re right Fink. I’m a Judge fan but I think that contract will look bad well before it ends. I kinda hope SF signs him. That way, he’s not likely to haunt the Yankees in the near future, I can still enjoy watching him play and it won’t bother me so much when the contract goes bad.
That’d work for me too, Joe. I like the Giants. Their fans are passionate and the franchise seems pretty well run. That park won’t be kind to Judge though. It’s a pitcher’s park.
Another team I wouldn’t mind seeing Judge go to would be the Cubs. I think he’d have a really nice run at Wrigley, health allowing.
Fink,
Too much CF. Let’s bring up Florial until at least Hicks can play center again.
Sevy is done. I don’t see him returning this season and I don’t see the team picking up his option for next year.
If they’re being honest about his injury, I think he’ll be back. I wouldn’t count on him being ace-like or lasting through the postseason, however.
I’d say stash him in the minors with short rehab starts while maintaining his arm strength and be cautious with him. They’ll need him in Sept.
I agree that Severino is done. While super talented, you simply can’t rely on him. I’ve been saying for three years that his place is as a set up man or closer, until Clay Holmes put all doubts to rest on who the closer is. Get Severino healthy and stop pitching him as a starter. German is just as good and not nearly as injury prone and if not, Sears can do the job or Schmidt. Severino can be a very valuable arm out of the pen in a variety of ways, but counting on him to be a starter all season is wishful thinking. Even Carl Pavano agrees.
Hey Yankee fans. Just for fun.
Great, fair or terrible trade?
Yankees get Moustakas 3B/2B/1B, Castillo SP, Barrero SS, Drury OF.
Reds get: Peraza SS, Gallo OF and Dominguez OF
You take on more salary (mostly you can afford it) with Moustakas but at least when not on the IL he can occasionally hit the baseball whereas Gallo does not seem to be able to do. Drury covers Gallo in outfield, Barrero is decent SS prospect. You will have to overpay for Castillo but hey you are in the hunt for the WS.
Sounds good if we can put Boone also in the trade.
It’s an interesting proposal but I don’t know enough about Jose Barrero. Seems to be projected to be a good player. Moose’s salary obligations this year and next plus buyout makes it difficult to swallow even if means getting rid of Gallo who is a free agent end of season. Drury is not a suitable replacement and the Yankees already have plenty of guys who can perform on par if not better. Not sure how a rookie SS in Barrero will gel well with a veteran infield. That also leaves IKF sharing the bench. I don’t see a fit here really.
I thinks it’s extremely unlikely that anybody gets both Peraza and Dominguez in a trade.
I never heard of Barrero, so I had to look him up on B-Ref. Why would the Yankees want a shortstop prospect who was overmatched in the majors and doesn’t rank in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, when the Yankees have five shortstops in their farm’s Top 30, two of whom are in the Top 38 in MLB’s Top 100?
Why would anyone want 33-year-old Moustakas and his 71 OPS+ and the remaining $30M on his contract?
Drury’s having a nice season, although it’s somewhat inflated by his home numbers in your supreme hitter’s park. He’d certainly be better than Gallo, but he’s a free agent next year, so he’d be a 6-month rental. I’m guessing the Reds would rather unload him in trade than have to pay him next year. I also notice that he was put on the restricted list when the Reds played the Jays in Canada, so I assume he’s unvaccinated. That won’t work for a team in the AL East.
As I see it, only Castillo is worth acquiring.
Moustakas, you’re trying to unload an expensive waste of a roster spot with a negative fWAR and bWAR. I wouldn’t give you Gallo for him. Gallo at least has a positive WAR and he’s a free agent next year so there’s no more money tied to him.
I would gladly trade Peraza with a selection of other prospects not named Dominguez for Castillo alone.
Hi. Thanks for your reply. You make many good points. My adding Moustakas to the mix was because Yankees have such deep pockets could afford it. Plus he is serviceable when healthy. Gallo seems to be a total waste at the plate. You guys are in a much different position than Reds. You are going for WS whereas Reds are hoping for the first pick in the draft next year. Any team who wants Castillo is going to have to overpay. I thought getting Barrero might help replace SS in your minors after giving up a good SS. Like you we have many good SS in our minors and not sure why we would want one of yours. As for Drury not being vaccinated I really don’t know. My guess is Dodgers get Castillo. Anyway thanks for your well thought out response. Have a good day!
The crowd in the bleachers need to stop chanting “MVP!” every time Judge comes to the plate to flail at pitches or hit a weak fly ball short of the warning track. At a certain point it just becomes unwitting mockery. In the last 30 days he’s batting .186 and ranks 88th in wRC+. That’s not MVP performance, folks.