Yanks pitcher Severino has lat strain, likely to start at IL – KGET 17

The New York Yankees could open the season without three-fifths of their projected starting rotation.

Right-hander Luis Severino has a low grade lat, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday, putting the two-time All-Star in danger of starting the season on the injured list.

“Obviously that’s going to put him at risk to start the year,” Boone said.

Boone expressed optimism that this won’t be a long-term problem, but acknowledged that Severino will “most likely” be placed on the injured list.

Severino, 29, was 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts last season. He struck out 112 in 102 innings.

Boone said the problem started after Severino made his last start on Tuesday.

“After he was kind of doing his training, hand care stuff, he just felt a tightness inside,” Boone said. “He came in the next day and it was a little tight, and then yesterday he wanted to come out and throw, and that tightness was still enough to look where he wanted to go.”

The Yankees will already be without right-hander Frankie Montas or left-hander Carlos Rodon to start the season.

Rodón, who joined the Yankees on a six-year, $162 million deal in the offseason, has a strained left forearm that will open the season on the injured list. Rodón was an All-Star the last two seasons, in 2021 with the Chicago White Sox and in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants.

Montas is recovering from shoulder surgery and won’t start pitching until late May.

The only projected starters from the Yankees rotation likely to be ready to start the season are five-time All-Star right-hander Gerrit Cole and 2022 All-Star left-hander Nestor Cortes.

DEGROM SHARP

Jacob deGrom struck out six over 3 2/3 shutouts against the San Diego Padres in his last start before making his regular season debut with the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers announced Friday that deGrom will start Thursday when the Rangers open the season against Aaron Nola and the Phillies. The two-time Cy Young Award winner signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers in the offseason after spending nine seasons with the New York Mets. ___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports