Jasson Dominguez Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
Yankees rookie outfielder Jasson Domínguez underwent successful surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow this morning, the team announced. New York announced the procedure as both a Tommy John surgery and an internal brace repair.
The club announced last week that Domínguez would go under the knife, though the extent of the procedure wasn’t entirely clear until the operation began. The Yankees indicated last week that Domínguez was expected to miss 9-10 months in either event. They repeated that timeline in today’s announcement.
It’s likely the 20-year-old will be back around next summer’s All-Star Break. Domínguez will surely open next season on the 60-day injured list, where he’ll be paid at the MLB minimum rate and collect big league service time. Whether he’ll remain on the major league roster once he is activated remains to be seen.
Domínguez was attempting to stake a claim to an Opening Day outfield spot this month. The top prospect got into eight games, collecting eight hits (including four homers) in 33 trips to the plate. It was a strong first foot forward that was unfortunately cut short when he was diagnosed with the UCL tear on September 10.
The Yankees could look for two starting outfielders this winter. Aaron Judge is obviously locked into one spot, likely right field. 22-year-old Everson Pereira has started slowly since being called up for the first time at the start of the month. Current left fielder Oswaldo Cabrera has hit just .216/.285/.314 across 285 trips to the dish. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be a free agent. Estevan Florial has gotten the bulk of the center field playing time since Domínguez’s injury, but the out-of-options former top prospect isn’t a lock to hold his 40-man roster spot all offseason.
AL East Notes: Montas, Jansen, Bautista, Mountcastle
The Yankees announced this morning that right-hander Frankie Montas will begin a rehab assignment at the Triple-A level this evening. Montas has not yet appeared in a professional game this year after undergoing shoulder surgery back in February.
Montas joined the Yankees at the trade deadline last year in a deal that sent a package of prospects headlined by left-hander Ken Waldichuk. The deal proved to be an ill-fated one for the Yankees, as Montas made just eight starts to the tune of a 6.35 ERA with a strikeout rate of just 17.8%. With just 12 games left on the regular season calendar and New York all but eliminated from postseason contention, the window is tight for Montas to return to the big leagues this year at all, much less for a full-length start. Nonetheless, with the 30-year-old righty poised to hit the open market this November, even a brief return to the big leagues where Montas can prove his health to clubs ahead of the offseason could be valuable as he looks to join a crowded free agent class for starting pitchers.
More from around the AL East…
- Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen has been on the COVID-19 injured list for the past week, but could be nearing a return. As manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) that Jansen is playing catch and is currently expected to rejoin the team in Texas on Wednesday, as soon as he’s eligible to return from the IL. The 35-year-old closer has had a solid season in Boston, with a 3.63 ERA and 29 saves in 44 2/3 innings of work. Chris Martin, Garrett Whitlock, and John Schreiber have handled the late innings for the Red Sox while Jansen has been out.
- Orioles closer Felix Bautista has been on the IL since late August with a UCL injury, though the club hasn’t given up hope on the 28-year-old returning this year. That hope is still alive today, as manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including Dan Connolly of Sportsnaut) this afternoon. Bautista threw a 20-25 pitch side session, which Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun was noted was his third consecutive day of throwing. Bautista was perhaps the most dominant reliever in the sport prior to going down with injury. In 61 innings of work this season, he’s posted a 1.48 ERA with an incredible 46.4% strikeout rate.
- Sticking with the Orioles, Hyde told reporters (including Jake Rill of MLB.com) that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who has been dealing with shoulder soreness in recent days, tried swinging a bat yesterday but that “it didn’t go great.” Hyde added that he still doesn’t consider Mountcastle as a candidate to hit the injured list. Mountcastle has slashed .269/.327/.453 in 459 trips to the plate this season. The Orioles have been relying on Ryan O’Hearn at first base in Mountcastle’s absence.
AL East Notes: Verdugo, Sale, Misiewicz, Hamilton, Mountcastle, Cimber
Alex Verdugo‘s name surfaced in trade rumors around the deadline, with at least one unknown AL team reportedly having interest in the Red Sox outfielder. WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports that the Yankees and Astros had some talks with the Sox about Verdugo, but naturally no deal was completed. The Astros instead focused on adding pitching (Justin Verlander and Kendall Graveman) at the deadline but have gotten a lineup boost from Michael Brantley‘s return from the injured list, while the Yankees only made a couple of lower-level bullpen additions. While it has been an inconsistent season for Verdugo, New York’s decision to not add any batting help backfired, as the near team-wide hitting slump in August sunk the Yankees’ playoff chances.
Boston’s deadline strategy over the last two seasons has been the subject of criticism, and undoubtedly factored into the team’s decision to fire chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom earlier this week. With the Red Sox on the outskirts of the wild card race in both seasons, Bloom didn’t pursue a clear selling-or-buying direction in either year, opting for a more cautious approach rather than going all in on contending or moving any high-profile names.
Most surprisingly, Bradford also reported that Bloom turned down an unknown club’s offer to acquire Chris Sale and all of the remaining money on Sale’s contract at the 2022 deadline. “The Red Sox wanted better players than were offered and no deal was done,” Bradford writes, yet an argument can certainly be made that getting Sale’s salary off the books would’ve represented enough of a win for the Sox that the player return might have been a secondary concern. Sale is making $27.5MM this season and in 2024, with a $20MM club option for 2025 that looks very unlikely to be exercised given how Sale has struggled with injuries over the last few seasons.
Here’s more from around the AL East…
- The Yankees placed left-hander Anthony Misiewicz on the seven-day concussion IL today while reinstating righty Ian Hamilton from the 15-day IL. Misiewicz was carted off the field yesterday after being struck in the head with a Ji Hwan Bae line drive, but manager Aaron Boone told the YES Network today that Misiewicz was released from hospital and “all things considered, I think he’s doing pretty well.” More will be known once Misiewicz undergoes further testing, and while there is no timetable for concussion-related symptoms, it would seem like Misiewicz’s season might be over. The southpaw has a 9.00 ERA over 11 total innings with the Diamondbacks, Tigers, and Yankees this season, and Friday’s game marked Misiewicz’s third game in the pinstripes since being claimed off waivers from Detroit back in July. Hamilton returns after a minimal 15-day absence due to a groin strain.
- Ryan Mountcastle isn’t in the Orioles‘ lineup today, and hasn’t played since leaving Wednesday’s game due to left shoulder discomfort. Manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that Mountcastle was feeling “just okay” when trying to take some swings yesterday, and was hopeful Mountcastle might be available to pinch-hit in today’s game.
- Blue Jays reliever Adam Cimber will start a Triple-A rehab assignment today, manager John Schneider told The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath and other reporters. A pair of shoulder-related injuries have limited Cimber to 20 2/3 innings this season, and he hasn’t pitched due to June 18 due to an impingement in his right shoulder. This lengthy stint on the 60-day IL means that Cimber will need a few rehab games to ramp up, but he should be able to return to the Jays’ bullpen before the season is through. After posting a 2.53 ERA over 142 1/3 innings with the Marlins and Blue Jays in 2021, Cimber has only a 7.40 ERA this year, though his shoulder issues have likely contributed to those struggles.
Jasson Dominguez To Undergo UCL Surgery
1:00pm: The Yankees provided reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, with an update regarding the surgery. As Martino reported, it’s true that internal bracing may be possible during the surgery, but the club is still estimating a timeline of nine to ten months regardless.
12:25pm: A full Tommy John surgery could still be avoided, reports Andy Martino of SNY. He says that the possibility of bracing will be determined during the surgery. That could perhaps lessen the recovery timeline, though further updates will surely follow the procedure.
10:55am: Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez will undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday of next week, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters Thursday (link via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic). It was already known that Dominguez would require surgery of some type to address the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but the Yankees and Dominguez were still gathering information before determining whether he’d need a full UCL reconstruction (i.e. Tommy John surgery) or a less-invasive procedure, such as a primary repair or internal brace. Dominguez’s estimated MLB return is nine to ten months, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, so he’ll likely miss close to half the 2024 season.
While Dominguez, the team and its fans are all surely glad to have some clarity on a formal diagnosis and treatment plan, it’s nonetheless an obvious gut-punch to all parties after Dominguez’s impressive debut earlier this month. The 20-year-old switch-hitter has been lauded as one of the game’s top prospects since signing with the Yankees on for a $5.1MM bonus as an international amateur back on July 2, 2019. He did little to sway that thinking upon his call to the big leagues, ripping an opposite-field homer off Justin Verlander in his first at-bat before going on to hit .258/.303/.677 with four homers and a double in his first 33 MLB plate appearances.
Dominguez’s debut effort lasted just eight games, but the month of September had been shaping up to be an audition for a full-time role in next year’s outfield. The early stages of that audition were a clear success, and there appeared to be a real chance that Dominguez would open the 2024 season as New York’s primary center fielder (or perhaps left fielder, depending on the progress of fellow prospect Everson Pereira and on any offseason dealings). The Yankees waived Harrison Bader in late August — the Reds subsequently claimed him — and will see utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa join Bader in free agency this winter.
An absence of nine to ten months rather clearly disrupts any plans for Dominguez to take over a full-time spot in the outfield. The Yankees will still want to take a look at Dominguez in a full-time role when he returns, but his injury increases the chances that the Yanks will at least pursue a veteran stopgap in center field to help bridge that gap. Bader seems quite likely to command a multi-year deal this offseason even on the heels of a tough year at the plate, given his defensive excellence. There aren’t many true short-term options on the free-agent market, though Aaron Judge‘s ability to play center field could allow the Yankees to deploy him there for a few months and look into short-term upgrades in the outfield corners.
Whatever route the Yankees pursue, Dominguez will open the 2024 campaign on the Major League 60-day injured list and accrue both service time and big league pay while he rehabs. The injury will make it highly unlikely that he’ll have the playing time required to push himself into American League Rookie of the Year voting next year, thus reducing the probability of the Yankees benefiting in the third year of MLB”s “prospect promotion incentive” system that was implemented in the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement.
Otherwise, Dominguez’s injury won’t do much to change impact his service time or long-term club control. He was likely to open the season on the roster anyhow, making a full year of service in 2024 the likeliest outcome. That’s still the case, and assuming he collects that full year in ’24, he’ll be under team control via the arbitration system through the 2029 season. The timing of Dominguez’s call to the Majors this year doesn’t put him anywhere near Super Two trajectory, so he’ll be eligible for arbitration following the 2026 season, barring any future optional assignments that could change that timeline.
Yankees Claim Luke Weaver From Mariners
The Yankees have claimed right-hander Luke Weaver off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both clubs. Weaver had recently been designated for assignment by the M’s. Lefty Nestor Cortes was transferred to the 60-day injured list in order to open up a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster.
Weaver, 30, began the year with the Reds, signing with them in the offseason on a one-year contract worth $2MM. Although he had shown some encouraging signs working as a reliever in 2022, the Reds tried moving him back to a starting role this year, which didn’t work out. He tooks the ball 21 times for the Reds but posted a 6.87 earned run average in 97 innings, getting released in August.
The Mariners decided to take a shot on Weaver, signing him to their roster. That was a no-risk move from a financial perspective, since the Reds remained on the hook for what remained of his salary. He made five appearances for Seattle, four of them out of the bullpen. But he posted an ERA of 6.08 in that small sample and was designated for assignment on the weekend.
Despite his poor results this year, it’s understandable why the Yankees would grab him. The Reds are still on the hook for the bulk of what remains of his contract, meaning that the Yanks will only have to pay the prorated version of the $720K league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount will be subtracted from what the Reds pay.
The Yankees have been battling poor health on their pitching staff all year, a problem that has gotten worse of late. Each of Ian Hamilton, Keynan Middleton, Jonathan Loáisiga, Albert Abreu and Luis Severino have landed on the injured list in just the past two weeks, further thinning out a staff that was already fairly snakebit. The club now has a total of 11 pitchers on the injured list.
At this time of year, adding new players is a challenge since the trade deadline has already passed. But by claiming Weaver off waivers, the Yankees get a fresh arm for their banged-up pitching staff at essentially no cost.
Weaver’s career has been up and down but he has shown flashes of potential at times. He posted an ERA of 2.94 in 2019, though injuries limited him to just 12 starts that year and he’s been less effective in subsequent years. Working primarily as a reliever last year didn’t look great on the surface level, with a 6.56 ERA in 35 2/3 innings, though poor luck may have been involved. His batting average on balls in play was .429 while his strand rate was 58.6%, leading to a 2.69 FIP and 3.64 SIERA.
Weaver will be a free agent again at season’s end, but donning the pinstripes will possibly give him a chance to finish the season strong, while the Yankees can use him to help patch together their pitching staff and limp to the end of a lost year.
As for Cortes, he’s been dealing with a rotator cuff strain and manager Aaron Boone admitted last month that he likely wouldn’t be back this year. This move makes it official, as he now won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from his August 8 IL placement, which would push into October. He’ll finish the year with a 4.97 ERA, only able to make 12 starts due to multiple injuries.
Yankees Select Zach McAllister
The Yankees announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran righty Zach McAllister from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and placed right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow. Anthony Rizzo was transferred to the 60-day injured list to create space for McAllister on the 40-man roster. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported shortly before the team’s official announcement that McAllister was slated to be called up to the big leagues.
It’s the 35-year-old McAllister’s first big league stint since the 2018 season. Originally selected by the Yankees in the the third round of the 2006 draft, it’ll also be McAllister’s debut appearance with the organization that started his big league career. The Yankees traded McAllister to Cleveland in a 2010 swap that brought outfielder Austin Kearns back to the Bronx. He went onto become a solid arm both in the rotation and the bullpen, but McAllister’s peak proved brief.
From 2012-13, McAllister started 46 games and pitched 259 2/3 innings for the since-renamed Indians, logging a 3.99 ERA along the way. He struggled in 15 starts the following season but found new life after a move to the bullpen. From 2015-17, he was a key member of Terry Francona’s relief corps, compiling 183 1/3 frames of 2.99 ERA ball.
McAllister again got out to a rough start to begin the 2018 season and this time found himself cut loose by the only big league club he’d ever known. He briefly signed with his longtime division-rival Tigers late in that 2018 season but pitched just 3 1/3 innings while allowing eight runs. He hasn’t pitched in the Majors since.
Since that brief stint in Detroit, McAllister has quickly reached journeyman status. He’s inked minor league deals with the Dodgers (twice), Rangers, Phillies, Cardinals and Diamondbacks but never climbed back to the Majors with any of them. That hasn’t stopped him from continuing his efforts to grind his way back to the show, and he’ll finally get that opportunity after a half decade in the minors — with the team that originally drafted him 17 years ago.
Plenty has gone wrong for the Yankees’ this year, but McAllister’s promotion was well-earned even when setting aside Loaisiga’s unfortunate injury. Since signing with the Yankees earlier this summer, he’s pitched 16 2/3 innings with the RailRiders, recording a pristine 1.62 ERA with a 20-to-4 K/BB ratio (33.3% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate). He’ll be a free agent again at season’s end and won’t be pitching for a postseason contender, but that won’t make the return to the Majors any less sweet for him after a lengthy, half-decade odyssey around the minor league circuit.
Yankees Select Estevan Florial
The Yankees announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Estevan Florial from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Fellow outfielder Jasson Dominguez, who was recently diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, was placed on the 10-day injured list to open a spot on the active roster. The Yankees already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, which is now at capacity.
Florial, 25, was once considered among the Yankees’ best prospects but has seen his stock tumble enough in recent years that he went unclaimed on waivers early in the season. He’s received just 63 plate appearances in the Majors and has a tepid .185/.302/.278 slash in that time, although his numbers in Triple-A are far better. Florial hit .283/.368/.481 with 15 homers and 39 steals with Scranton in 2022 and is having a similarly eye-catching year in 2023: .284/.380/.565, 28 home runs, 25 stolen bases.
Impressive as the raw rate stats and counting numbers are, questions about Florial’s hit tool have persisted for some time now, and his strikeout rates in Triple-A remain a pronounced red flag. Florial punched out in 30.4% of his Triple-A plate appearances last year and is currently sitting on a nearly identical 29.9% strikeout rate in 2023. He’s walked in more than 12% of his plate appearances over the past two seasons as well, but the penchant for strikeouts is nonetheless concerning. That Florial wasn’t claimed earlier this season and that he was continually passed over for journeymen like Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun, Billy McKinney and Greg Allen in 2023 at least strongly implies that the Yankees and other clubs share in those concerns.
With Dominguez now out for the season, the Yankees will finally give Florial a look in the big leagues. He’s already been jettisoned from the 40-man roster once despite strong Triple-A output, so this could well be something of a last chance for the out-of-options former top prospect to prove to the organization that he ought to stick in the Majors. If he’s removed from the 40-man roster a second time, he’ll have the right to elect free agency. For now, the Yankees will mix Florial into the outfield alongside reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, prospect Everson Pereira, utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera and the aforementioned Bauers.
Jasson Dominguez To Undergo Surgery To Repair UCL Tear
Top Yankees outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez has suffered a torn UCL, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Brendan Kuty of The Athletic) this afternoon. The news obviously brings the youngster’s 2023 campaign to a close, and will impact the start to his 2024 season as well. Speaking to reporters (including Kuty) through his translator, Dominguez confirmed he would be undergoing surgery, saying “The plan is to go through surgery as soon as possible and try to recuperate as soon as possible.”
A consensus top-50 prospect in baseball at the time of his promotion earlier this month, Dominguez’s big league career was off to a hot start despite just nine games of experience at the Triple-A level before reaching the show: in 33 trips to the plate with New York, the 20-year-old slashed a phenomenal .258/.303/.677 with four homers, a double, and a stolen base while playing a solid center field for the Yankees. Dominguez’s September cup of coffee was on track to put him firmly in the mix for a starting role entering the 2024 season, though this news surely puts that possibility into question.
Tommy John surgery is unlikely to wipe out the youngster’s entire 2024 campaign. The aforementioned 9-10 month recovery timeline would put Dominguez in position to return around the All-Star Break next year, though a more optimistic timeline is certainly possible. Yankees fans will surely remember shortstop Didi Gregorius undergoing the procedure in October 2018. He managed to return as the club’s everyday shortstop in early June, just under eight months after undergoing the procedure.
Of course, Phillies superstar Bryce Harper made a record-setting return from the surgery earlier this year, joining the club’s lineup just over five months after undergoing the procedure. That being said, fans likely shouldn’t expect a similarly speedy recovery for Dominguez. The 20-year-old youngster is still at the very beginning of his career as a big leaguer, and it would hardly be a surprise if the Yankees decided to take their time with the top prospect’s rehab. Additionally, Harper returned to the lineup as a DH for Philadelphia. By contrast, the Yankees have veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton firmly entrenched as the club’s everyday DH for the foreseeable future. To this point in the season, Stanton has made just 32 appearances in the outfield, and it seems unlikely the Yankees would move him to an everyday outfield role to accommodate a quicker return for Dominguez.
With Dominguez unlikely to serve as a reliable option in center field for at least the first few months of 2024, the injury highlights New York’s need for outfield help as they look ahead to the coming offseason. Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger stands at the front of the coming market for outfield options, with Tommy Pham, Teoscar Hernandez, Jorge Soler, and Michael Brantley representing other potential options set to hit the open market this winter. The Yankees are also known to have looked into the trade market for outfield help at the trade deadline this year, with a particular interest in Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson. While no deal came together before the deadline this summer, it’s certainly feasible trade talks could be revisited in the coming offseason.
AL East Notes: Means, Adam, Margot, Baz, Bowman, Misiewicz
John Means‘ long recovery from Tommy John surgery is nearing an end, as the Orioles southpaw threw a bullpen session yesterday and is tentatively expected to start Tuesday’s game against the Cardinals, though the O’s haven’t yet announced most of their upcoming rotation alignment. “I’ve been waiting a while for this, so just looking forward to whenever that opportunity is, I take advantage of it,” Means told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters today.
The de facto ace of Baltimore’s pitching staff during the club’s rebuild, Means posted a 3.72 ERA over 353 1/3 innings for the O’s from 2019-2022, though TJ surgery ended his 2022 season after only two starts and eight innings. Between that procedure and then a back strain that delayed his rehab earlier this year, Means hasn’t much contributed to the Orioles resurgence that included a winning record in 2022 and now the American League’s best record in 2023. Naturally, Means is both “really excited to compete again” in general, and especially for a team that suddenly looks like a World Series contender. It remains to be seen how exactly he’ll fit into the Orioles’ pitching plans, and Means said that he hasn’t talked to the club yet about starting or relieving, though he is open to either.
More from around the AL East…
- Jason Adam has played two games of catch since going on the 15-day IL, and the Rays reliever isn’t reporting any soreness from the left oblique strain that has kept him from pitching since August 27. While there’s still plenty of fluidity to Adam’s status, manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) that the club is tentatively hoping Adam can return when the Rays open their next homestand on September 19.
- In other Rays health updates, Manuel Margot is slated for a minor league rehab game on Tuesday. The outfielder underwent elbow surgery in mid-August, and is roughly on track with his initial recovery timeline of 3-4 weeks. Ackert also spoke with Shane Baz, who is continuing to make progress from his September 2022 Tommy John surgery and is looking to start throwing live batting practice sessions in the instructional league by the end of September. “I will have a pretty normal offseason and then it’s full-go in spring,” Baz said.
- The Yankees called up right-hander Matt Bowman and left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, after optioning relievers Ron Marinaccio and Matt Krook to Triple-A after yesterday’s game. Misiewicz is set to make his debut in the pinstripes after New York claimed the southpaw off waivers from the Tigers back in July, as Misiewicz has thus far spent his Yankees tenure in the minors. For Bowman, the righty is now set to make his first MLB appearance since 2019, when he was a member of the Reds. Between the canceled 2020 minor league season and recovering from a Tommy John surgery, Bowman didn’t pitch at all from 2020-22 before returning to toss 56 Triple-A frames this season.
- Jasson Dominguez was a late scratch from the Yankees lineup today, as the rookie outfielder is dealing with right elbow inflammation. The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, but it’s an unfortunate setback for a player who has brought some spark to a disappointing season in the Bronx. In his first 33 Major League plate appearances, “the Martian” has already hit four homers en route to a .980 OPS.
Luis Severino Won’t Return In 2023 Following High-Grade Oblique Strain
6:44PM: The specifics of Severino’s injury have become clear, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Brendan Kuty of The Athletic) that the right-hander had suffered a “high-grade” left oblique strain. The injury brings a difficult 2023 campaign for Severino to an end, and leaves the 29-year-old’s health as a major question mark just two months before he’s scheduled to hit free agency for the first time in his career.
9:39AM: As expected, the Yankees placed Severino on the 15-day IL, and called up right-hander Ron Marinaccio from Triple-A in the corresponding move. The specific nature of Severino’s injury isn’t yet known, as the club announced he was sidelined with “a left upper body injury (pending further results).”
SEPTEMBER 8: Luis Severino departed this evening’s start against Milwaukee in the fifth inning. The right-hander left in obvious pain after throwing a pitch to Brice Turang.
The Yankees didn’t provide many specifics, saying only that Severino would go for additional testing on a left side injury. After the game, the pitcher said he felt like he’d been shot, calling it “deep, sharp pain” (via Brendan Kuty of the Athletic).
More will be known in the coming days, but it seems as if Severino is trending to a trip to the injured list. With three weeks left in the regular season and the Yankees all but certain to miss the playoffs, it’s fair to wonder if his 2023 campaign will be cut short.
It has been a nightmarish season for the 29-year-old hurler. Severino spent the first six weeks of the season on the injured list after suffering a Spring Training lat injury. He returned in late May and had been healthy up until tonight, but he has posted some of the worst numbers of any pitcher in the league. Including his performance this evening, he carries a 6.65 ERA through 89 1/3 innings. He’s striking out a below-average 18.9% of opposing hitters and has allowed a staggering 2.32 home runs per nine.
It’s a huge drop-off for a pitcher who worked to a 3.18 ERA with a 27.7% strikeout rate in 102 innings a year ago. Severino battled injuries (most notably a February 2020 Tommy John procedure) going back to 2019. Yet his rate statistics last season weren’t much worse than those of his 2017-18 peak when he made consecutive All-Star games and finished as high as third in Cy Young balloting.
Even if Severino were to finish this year healthy, it’d be a tough time for his first career trip to free agency. He already looked like a candidate for a one-year, bounceback deal in hopes of a better platform season going into the 2024-25 offseason. If he requires a stint on the injured list to close out the year, he’d head into the winter with an additional question mark.