The Yankees Simply Have to Be Held Responsible for Luis Severino's Latest Elbow Issues
By Scott Rogust
This MLB offseason seemed to be a massive win for the New York Yankees. They signed ace Gerrit Cole in free agency, the Houston Astros got caught cheating in the sign-stealing scandal, and the Boston Red Sox traded away superstar Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Then spring training happened. First, it was Aaron Judge's shoulder discomfort. Now, on Thursday, starting pitcher Luis Severino was shut down with forearm soreness and a "loose body" in his elbow.
Make no mistake about it, Severino's latest injury is on the Yankees.
According to Aaron Boone...Luis Severino has been dealing with forearm tightness #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) February 20, 2020
According to reports, Severino is dealing with the same tightness in his forearm that he endured during ALCS Game 3 against the Astros.
Remember when the team fired the medical staff due to the multitude of injuries this past season? Well, even after they were canned, the ineptitude continued.
Yes, we know Cashman said Severino went through numerous MRIs and CT scans last month, and they came back negative. But how could the Yankees not organize a rehabilitation process for Severino this offseason to ensure his past issues from last season didn't pop up again?
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
This is the very same pitcher who dealt with rotator cuff problems and a lat strain that knocked him out for the majority of last season. How was ALL of this not more heavily monitored?
The injury comes at the worst possible time. James Paxton will be out a couple of months due to back surgery, and now Severino likely won't be ready for Opening Day. Luckily they have some pitching depth, but this isn't the start they were looking for.
James Paxton is out until June at the earliest. Aaron Judge hasn’t been swinging due to shoulder soreness. Luis Severino is now shut down.
— Dan Federico (@DanJFederico) February 20, 2020
I thought this was the training staff’s problem??
The good news is that the Yankees won 103 games last year with a record-setting number of injuries, so they know how to cope with this. However, the injuries caught up with them in the postseason, which is really all that matters.