Luis Severino's Latest 'Hopeful' Quote Won't Make Yankee Fans too Confident

The New York Yankees looked poised to mow down the competition thanks to their Gerrit Cole-infused starting rotation that also features Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and Luis Severino.

Just a few days into spring training, however, Paxton has been sidelined for a few months, while Severino is dealing with elbow discomfort. Severino tried to paint an optimistic picture of his current situation, but it did little to put the minds of Yankees fans at ease.

When Severino was asked if he was confident he would be ready to pitch when the season begins, he said, “I hope, man. I hope. I hope this is nothing and I can begin to throw tomorrow.”
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) February 21, 2020

"I hope this is nothing" sounds pretty ominous.

Severino was limited to just three regular season starts last year due to a lat injury that kept him out almost the entire campaign. He was his usual, dominant self in those games, as he gave up two runs in 12 innings of work. He surrendered just two runs in 8.1 innings of postseason action against the Twins and Astros.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that the last MRI for Luis Severino was in January. Severino had two MRIs and a CT scan after complaining of discomfort, and all tests have been negative. “It could be small and a timing issue or it could be significant,”... https://t.co/UG6UfiPGYr
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) February 20, 2020

The Yankees went from one of the strongest rotations in baseball to one littered with question marks in a few days. If Severino is out of commission for an extended period of time, things could get really messy for the Yankees.