Another injury clouds Severino's future with Yankees

NEW YORK -- Luis Severino dropped his glove and immediately clutched his left side, grimacing after his final pitch on Friday evening. It also may have been his last as a Yankee.

Still in extreme discomfort hours later, Severino is set to undergo diagnostic testing on Saturday, another unwelcome addition to the right-hander’s lengthy injury history. The Brewers pulled away with six late runs, handing the Bombers an 8-2 loss at Yankee Stadium.

“I feel like somebody shot me,” Severino said. “It’s a deep, sharp pain.”

On Saturday, the Yankees placed Severino on the 10-day IL, pending further testing. Right-hander Ron Marinaccio was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Save for Willy Adames’ game-tying fourth-inning homer, Severino was pitching well Friday, and he had been showing improvements since he declared himself the Majors’ “worst pitcher” a month ago. Severino said he felt no discomfort on his previous pitches, and catcher Austin Wells didn’t notice any issues before the fateful offering.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Wells said. “I thought he was going to throw up at first, and then he was holding his side. Not good.”

Jasson Domínguez hit a two-run homer, his fourth big league blast, as the Yanks dipped below .500 at 70-71 -- now eight games back of the American League’s third Wild Card spot with 21 to play. The 20-year-old Domínguez is the youngest Yankee to homer and steal a base in the same game since Mickey Mantle in 1951.

But any enthusiasm about The Martian’s performance was tempered by the sight of Severino hunched over at the base of the mound, staggered by an injury that seemingly came out of nowhere.

“I feel horrible for him,” Wells said. “Even tonight, he did a great job. I don’t think they saw him very well tonight. I was looking forward to getting him in there deep. He’s had struggles this year, and he’s worked hard to get back to what he does best. It’s really unfortunate, the timing of it.”

A free agent after this season, Severino’s chances of finishing a rough season on a positive note are now in jeopardy. His last pitch of the evening came as Brice Turang stroked a single into center field leading off the top of the fifth inning.

Severino was an American League All-Star in 2017 and ’18, and there was only sunny optimism for his future during the spring of 2019, when he finalized terms on a four-year, $40 million contract extension. The club also announced a seven-year, $70 million extension for outfielder Aaron Hicks that month, expecting both players to be key figures in their future success.

Neither deal worked out; Hicks is still on the Yankees’ tab, save for the league minimum, and appears playoff-bound with the AL East-leading Orioles. Severino sat out most of the 2019 season due to a lat strain, then underwent Tommy John surgery in February ‘20.

Severino also has missed time with groin, lat and shoulder issues. When the Yankees picked up his $15 million option this past November, general manager Brian Cashman said at the time that the decision was “an easy yes.” Any future considerations regarding Severino will not be so clear.

“There’s a lot at stake for him,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s been through a lot over these last several years [with] injuries, and when he has pitched, he’s pitched really well. This year, when he came back, he really had an extended struggle when he’s been healthy for the first time in his career.

“He seemed to really start to turn the corner here these last four weeks or so, where he’s been throwing the ball a lot better. I thought he was throwing the ball well tonight. It sucks; you feel for him. We’ll just see what we have.”

William Contreras, Carlos Santana and Adames contributed RBI hits in the seventh, runs charged to Jhony Brito and Jonathan Loáisiga. Greg Weissert saw three runs score on his watch in the eighth. Bombers hurlers have allowed 18 runs in their past two games after permitting just 20 in their previous nine (Aug. 28-Sept. 6).