Yankees: Luis Severino Provides Update on Recovery From Tommy John Surgery

Yankees pitcher Luis Severino is recovering from Tommy John surgery and provided an update.

The New York Yankees, once again, were dealt a severe blow earlier in the offseason when they learned starting pitcher Luis Severino, who had already missed most of the 2019 campaign due to various injuries, would have to undergo Tommy John surgery. That timeline obviously has him missing all of 2020 (if there even is a season) and part of 2021.

Injury woes can’t seem to escape the Bronx Bombers, especially considering Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and James Paxton all would have been on the shelf for the first few months of 2020 if the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t happened.

The good news, however, is that Severino is progressing in his recovery and is remaining optimistic about pairing with Gerrit Cole in the future.

“I’ve been down in Tampa since the day after I had my surgery. I do arm bike, dumbbell exercises, and I just follow the routine that [trainers] Timmy [Lentych] and Alfonso [Malaguti] plan out for me. I spend an hour and half with them in the trainer’s room before I move into the gym, every day, five days a week,” Severino told George A. King III of the New York Post. “Things have been progressing well. I’ve been making steady progress — lifting, doing exercises. Since three months ago — I think when I first had my surgery — I feel way better. I’m doing everything I need to do right now so that I can start throwing this summer.’’

That’s some notable dedication after a fairly disheartening procedure.

And from a financial standpoint, the Yankees are in a solid spot in regards to Sevy. With the way the negotiations between the players and owners are going right now, the team may only have to pay him a fraction of his 2020 salary (though that working out in the owners’ favor wouldn’t be good for the sport). On a positive note, for a player with Severino’s potential and skill, extending him at $10 million per season was a great move by Brian Cashman. Now it’s just a matter of the right-hander getting healthy.

At the end of the day, if Severino is pleased with his recovery, Yankee fans have to feel good about him returning in 2021 ready to dominate atop the rotation with Cole. It’s what we all need to see, right?