Yankees pitcher Luis Severino joins banged-up starting rotation entering season
Manager says right-hander might not throw for a week as he nurses right lat strain
Yankees right-hander Luis Severino has a low-grade right lat strain and likely will start the season on the injured list — another blow for the once-promising New York starting rotation.
Manager Aaron Boone said Severino might not throw for the next five to seven days. Severino will miss his final scheduled start of the spring on Sunday, and Boone said he expects right-hander Clarke Schmidt will start the second game of the regular season in Severino's place.
The Yankees entered spring with hopes of a rotation of Severino, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes and Frankie Montas. Only Cole and Cortes have stayed healthy.
Rodon, who signed a six-year, $162-million US contract in the off-season, has a forearm strain and just began throwing again this week as his rehab progresses. Right-hander Frankie Montas won't return before the second half after shoulder surgery.
Severino, 29, has pitched in just 26 regular-season games in the past four seasons because of a variety of injuries. In 2019, he posted a 19-8 record.
In seven major league seasons, all with the Yankees, Severino is 50-29 with a 3.39 earned-run average in 122 games (107 starts) and 638 1/3 innings pitched.
He threw 15 innings over five starts this spring with a 9.00 ERA. He gave up six home runs, walked six and struck out 23.
Phillies GM thinks 'the world' of ace
The Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Aaron Nola have tabled talks on a contract extension until after the season, team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Saturday.
"We think the world of him, quality pitcher, quality human being, but sometimes you get to this point where you're not able to consummate a deal that both sides feel comfortable," Dombrowski said. "We're very open minded to trying to sign him at the end of the season. We're hopeful he'll remain a Phillie for a long time."
Nola's agent Joe Longo confirmed to the newspaper that the feeling was mutual.
"We had good communication with the Phillies," Longo said in a statement. "We just couldn't agree at this time. We'll pick up the conversation again at the end of the season."
Nola, 29, is slated to make his sixth straight opening day start when the Phillies visit the Texas Rangers on Thursday in Arlington, Texas.
He signed a four-year, $45-million extension in February 2019, and the Phillies exercised their $16 million club option for the 2023 season in November.
Nola posted an 11-13 record with a 3.25 ERA and one shutout in 32 starts last season, striking out a career-high 235 batters in 205 innings. He was 2-2 in the post-season with a 4.91 ERA in five starts as the Phillies advanced to the World Series.
Nola is 78-62 with a 3.60 ERA in 203 career starts with the Phillies, was a National League all-star in 2018 and has finished in the top seven of NL Cy Young Award voting three times, including a fourth-place finish last season.
