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3 Pitchers Who Will Have to Step up for Yankees Following Luis Severino and James Paxton Injuries

By Sean Facey

Plenty of young faces need to kick it into high gear in wake of the injuries to the rotation.
Plenty of young faces need to kick it into high gear in wake of the injuries to the rotation. / Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the New York Yankees left the injury bug in 2019. It's not even March, and standout starters Luis Severino and James Paxton are dealing with health woes, turning a deep starting rotation into a suddenly massive question mark.

So while they work their way back to full strength, these players need to absolutely show out.

3. Clarke Schmidt

Schmidt turned himself into one of New York's most exciting pitching prospects.
Schmidt turned himself into one of New York's most exciting pitching prospects. / Tim Warner/Getty Images

Clarke Schmidt only got better and better as he worked his way up from Rookie ball last season. By the time the 2019 campaign was over, he had logged a 2.37 ERA in three starts in Double-A, and was one of the most highly-touted prospects in the pipeline. Though the majors might still be a bit of a ways away for him, he must be prepared for the Yankees to call on him to eat innings and fill in for injured stars like Severino and Paxton. As more and more rotation spots open, Schmidt believes he has as good a chance as anyone to earn one. This next month will be huge for him.

2. Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery has to be the pitcher he was before his injury.
Montgomery has to be the pitcher he was before his injury. / Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

The injuries to Severino and Paxton have opened the door for Montgomery, who missed large chunks of the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, to slide into the rotation. Needless to say, the pressure is on for him to perform well in their absence. His 3.84 ERA in 35 starts prior to his injury proves that he has the potential to be a reliable arm in the starting rotation. He just needs to execute so the Yankees can have someone at the back of the rotation that they can trust to get the job done every fifth day.

1. Deivi Garcia

Garcia needs to apply his form from the minors last year at the next level.
Garcia needs to apply his form from the minors last year at the next level. / Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images

Garcia dazzled across three levels of the minor leagues last year. He fanned 165 batters in just over 111 innings of work split between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. With the injuries to Severino and Paxton, though, he needs to find a way to apply that ability to miss bats at the major league level. The Yankees need a young, exciting arm to fill in for their injured superstars in the rotation, and Garcia is just that. He has to be ready to bring the firepower to keep opposing batters off-balance, even if he's only serving as an opener.