Yankees: Can the starting rotation survive without Luis Severino?

Luis Severino started the season on the IL due to right rotator cuff inflammation with the hope that he could return to the starting rotation in early May. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen after the Yankees announced Tuesday the Sevy would be shut down for six weeks after suffering a Grade 2 lat strain.

This another tough blow for the Yankees and their ace. This injury is separate from the rotator cuff issue he had during spring training, but I doubt that makes the Yankees or the fans any happier. Sevy is going to be out for a while and until he returns the rest of the starting staff is going to have to step up.

Despite Sevy’s absence, there is reason for optimism because the rest of the rotation has gotten off to a really nice start. Starting pitching has been a strength for the Yanks so far this season, but if the news regarding Sevy’s recovery somehow gets worse you wonder how they can survive in the long run without him.

Any time a pitcher is having shoulder issues we tend to immediately think the worse. The possibility of season-ending surgery is always a concern as well as the pitchers long term health when and if he returns.

Obviously losing Sevy for the season would be a devastating blow and even thinking about it is depressing. At this point, the best we can hope for is that after the six-week layoff he can resume his throwing program and rehab his way back to action around the All-Star break.

If that’s the case then the Yankees and their rotation should be ok in the short term. With Masahiro Tanaka pitching like an ace to start the season and James Paxton behind him the front line of the rotation is still very solid. When you add in veterans J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia, (who could return from the IL this weekend) along with an emerging Domingo German the Yanks still have the makings of an above average five-man staff.

They also have depth with top pitching prospect Jonathan Loaisiga currently filling in for CC until he returns and veteran southpaw Gio Gonzalez who is currently down at Triple-A. Gonzalez could become a rotation option soon as he works his way back into shape down at Scranton after he signed with the team late into Spring Training. He struggled in his season debut but in his second start on Tuesday he struck out 10 over six scoreless innings.

Another reason for optimism moving forward is the Yankees feature one of the best offenses and best bullpens in all of baseball.

When you have a lineup with as much firepower as the Yanks do you’re going to score a ton of runs so you can win games on a nightly basis without top-tier starting pitching. They can also win games where their bullpen carries them as it one of the most dominant in the game. This Yankee pen is stacked with power arms from top to bottom and that’s without Dellin Betances who should return from injury by the end of the month.

You never want to overwork your bullpen especially early on in the season, but with all the quality setup men the Yanks have in relief they can shorten games and don’t need their starters to go more than five or six innings. The starters they’re featuring right now are all more than capable of giving them just that when they take the mound.

Now in the event that Severino’s injury keeps him sidelined deep into the second half, then there would be more reasons to panic as we get closer to the playoffs. That is unless they trade for another ace-caliber starter before the July 31st deadline. The first name that comes to mind as a potential target is obviously Madison Bumgarner because the Giants aren’t winning anything this season and he’s in the final year of his contract.

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As the season progresses there will be other top starters who will become available in trade talks and you can bet Brian Cashman will do everything in his power to acquire one of them if Sevy is out for the year. Even if he does return by June or July it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Yanks still make a strong push trade for a guy like Bumgarner to help them win the division.

That being said if the Yankees feel confident that Sevy will be able to return this season I don’t think there will be as much urgency in the short term to make a trade or sign someone because of their depth.

That’s why I don’t think they’ll go out and sign Dallas Keuchel who is still somehow a free agent. Then as the trade deadline nears they’ll assess where they stand with their rotation and if they feel the need to make a move they will.

However, for the time being, the Yanks are going to roll with the rotation they already have in place. Because with their high powered offense and dominant bullpen leading the way they’re still going to win a lot of games and be championship contenders.