Yankees former ace Luis Severino will be returning on Tuesday to start vs the Angels but is he the final piece of the puzzle to a World Series?
The New York Yankees have been one of the most injury-riddled single-season teams I have ever seen with players like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Dellin Betances, and of course, Luis Severino spending time on the Injured List this season.
Gary Sanchez left game 2 of the doubleheader on Thursday with left groin tightness.
Luis Severino is finally going to be coming off of the shelf next Tuesday at home against the Angels.
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The former Yankees ace, who has been out since Spring Training with right rotator cuff inflammation and a lat strain that he suffered during his rehab, led the Yankees to multiple postseason appearances but has not performed well once he reached October.
In 2017, he allowed ten earned runs in his four postseason starts, including forcing Joe Girardi to go the bullpen after Severino could only get one out in the first inning.
With that said, I don’t see how Severino could lead an already struggling rotation into a series against a super-rotation like the Houston Astros.
Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Zack Greinke would easily pitch better than the Yankees top three starters regardless if Severino is in the rotation.
In addition, it wouldn’t be fair to put Severino on the mound to start postseason games for the Yankees when he will only be making 3 starts going into the postseason this month.
So, I believe that Aaron Boone should put Severino in the bullpen to help him perform better because he would have better stuff and command in one inning and not five or six.
Even if Severino goes to the bullpen, he doesn’t have much experience coming out of the bullpen in the middle of a game so it is a fair question to ask how he would handle that.
Therefore, I don’t believe he is the final piece of the puzzle for New York to go to a World Series this year because one starter (assuming he is the 2017 Severino) won’t beat three All-Star starters in Houston.