Back to Back Strong Outings for Luis Severino with Railriders

Luis Severino had his second straight strong outing for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre Monday, leading the Railriders to an 8-4 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens.

Luis Severino was optioned to Scranton at the end of May after missing two weeks with a right triceps strain. After a disastrous debut in which he walked three and allowed three earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched, the 22-year-old righty has began to look like his old self, striking out a combined 15 International League hitters in 13 innings since then, while walking just three.

Related Story: Severino Tosses Three Scoreless in Rehab Start

In Monday’s win, Severino went seven innings against the Mud Hens, facing a lineup that included top Tigers’ prospects Steven Moya and Jacoby Jones, as well as former big leaguers Tyler Collins, Casey McGehee, and Anthony Gose. He allowed three earned on five hits while striking out eight.

Five days earlier, Severino pitched six scoreless against the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A club of the Chicago White Sox. Here’s a look at him striking out his seventh batter of the night in the fifth inning:

Unfortunately, the fact that Severino is succeeding against Triple-A hitters doesn’t tell us much about whether he’s made strides with the issues that plagued him at the big league level during the first six weeks of 2016. Severino’s ugly 7.46 ERA in his seven starts this year is largely a result of an inability to effectively command his secondary pitches. His slider especially was getting slammed because Severino would hang several over the plate in every start.

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Because his upper-90s fastball is so overpowering to minor league hitters, the box score is nearly meaningless in evaluating whether Severino is ready to return to the big leagues. It will likely take some time for the coaching staff to implement some of the mechanical changes necessary to get him back to where he’s been in the past.

Severino is extremely important to the future of this club, and there is no reason to rush him back with the MLB rotation looking better than it has all year. The worst thing that could happen would be to bring Severino up and have him continue to get slammed, further shaking his confidence.