How Yankees are handling Luis Severino’s poor spring results

TAMPA — By the numbers, Yankees right-hander Luis Severino is off to a horrid start this spring.

His 13.50 ERA in two Grapefruit League outings is grotesque. He hasn’t been able to keep the ball in the yard, allowing three homers in a span of 4 2/3 innings. He even struggled to induce weak contact against teammates in live batting practice.

Over the past few seasons, the health of Severino’s right arm was his biggest issue. He pitched in only seven big-league games from 2019 to 2021 due to myriad injuries and Tommy John surgery.

Now he’s healthy, but his performance so far appears to be a serious cause for concern.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked on Saturday about Severino’s results thus far and the skipper interjected halfway through the question.

“Sevy is right where he needs to be,” Boone said. “Sevy’s in a good spot. I’m not that worried about the results.”

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Severino’s line in a 14-10 loss to the Rays at Steinbrenner Field may make an overreacting fan break out in hives, but it’s not completely indicative of how he actually pitched. The right-hander allowed three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings including back-to-back home runs from two Tampa Bay minor leaguers in the second.

That said, the wind was howling in Tampa on Saturday and both teams teed off all afternoon, combining for a total of nine home runs and 29 hits. Boone called it “Wrigley Field-ish” conditions. Severino’s execution on the pitches that left the yard wasn’t bad either. Both offerings were located in a safe spot at the bottom of the zone. Sometimes you have to tip your cap.

The focus for Severino on Saturday should instead be the right-hander’s six strikeouts, his sparkling first inning of work, the way he comfortably raised his pitch count to 49 this early in camp and most importantly, the fact that he’s healthy.

That’s certainly all that Severino cares about.

“The years where I have been healthy, I’ve been accomplished,” Severino said, also referencing the wind and steamy temperatures. “Right now, I feel really good. I feel back to normal. Last year I had to pitch and wait until tomorrow. I know right now I’m going to feel good tomorrow.”

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That right there should supplant any concerns about the astronomical ERA attached to Severino’s name five days into March. This is a pitcher that’s been an All-Star, a Cy Young candidate and one of the most electrifying starters in the sport when he’s healthy. As Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks put it, Severino will be one of the best No. 3 starters in all of baseball if he can take the mound every five days all year long. With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes also in the Yankees’ rotation, Severino could even be the fourth starter in pinstripes to begin the year.

“When he’s on, he’s difficult to hit, especially when he’s throwing the ball 100 miles an hour and has wipeout stuff,” Hicks said, shortly after belting his first home run of the spring. “He will be huge for this team, especially in the playoffs. To have a deep, stacked staff like that would be huge.”

The pressure is on for Severino to perform this year. It’s his final season before entering free agency after the Yankees picked up his club option for the 2023 season last fall. Either Severino recaptures his form and hits the market as a hot commodity, or he continues to struggle when it comes to staying on the field.

For now, his confidence and morale are high.

“If you say results, it’s getting better,” Severino said with a chuckle. “I gave up four runs last time. Today, I got three. Hopefully by the beginning of the season, I’m going down to zero.”