Luis Severino leaves with left side injury as Yankees lose to Brewers
Luis Severino of the Yankees grimaces as he is checked out on the mound after an injury during the fifth inning against the Brewers at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Jasson Dominguez again dazzled Yankees fans on Friday night, but Luis Severino didn't do much for their spirits.
Severino left the Yankees’ 8-2 loss to the Brewers at Yankee Stadium with what the team called a left side injury. He gave up a leadoff single by Brice Turang in the fifth inning, and as the ball rocketed to left-centerfield, Severino doubled over. After grimacing for a few moments, he walked off the field in obvious pain and Jhony Brito came on in relief.
“I feel like somebody shot me. Like a deep shot of pain,” said Severino, who was in obvious pain as he did postgame interviews, wincing as he tried to gather his thoughts.
He said he didn’t have any warning beforehand that something was wrong. “I’ve been getting better, my whole body is feeling great,'' he said. "I was not expecting this.”
The Yankees (70-71) said Severino will undergo diagnostic testing Saturday.
Said catcher Austin Wells: “From behind the plate, I saw him just immediately drop his glove and his hat. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought he was going to throw up at first and then he’s holding his side, so it’s not good.
“I feel horrible for him. Even tonight, he did a great job. I don’t think they saw him very well tonight, so I was looking forward to getting in there deep. Obviously, he’s had his struggles this year and he’s worked to get back to what he does best. I think he’s been there the last few starts. So It’s really unfortunate, the timing of it."
Wells added that there was no warning beforehand, no telltale sign. “He felt great, he was up to 99 [mph],'' he said. "Throwing it really good tonight, so maybe it’s just a freak thing.”
Manager Aaron Boone said that when he arrived at the mound to check out Severino, “he was in a lot of pain and still is. Just on the side here. [Boone gestured near his left oblique muscle]. Still in quite a bit of pain.”
Severino (4-8, 6.65 ERA) threw 70 pitches, struck out five and allowed four hits, including a two-run home run by Willy Adames on an 0-and-2 fastball that tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth.
Referring to Severino doubling over and dropping his glove at one point after suffering the injury, Boone said: “You never want to see that, obviously. He’s been through a lot, so we’ll see what we have there. I thought he was throwing the ball really well. A lot of stuff was great. Made one mistake to Adames with two strikes so we’ll see what we have and we’ll try to get around it.”
It adds more concern for a pitcher who started the season on the injured list with a low-grade lat strain and will be a free agent after this season.
A lat strain cost him two months last season, part of a slew of injuries he’s had since signing a four-year, $40 million extension before the 2019 season.
Severino had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in February 2020, which kept him out for the entire season. His return was further delayed to September 2021 after a groin strain during a rehab start.
Severino, who is making $15 million this season, has yet to return to his All-Star form from 2018, when he went 19-8. He has made only 45 starts since then, going 13-12 with a 4.47 ERA.
Whether he returns this season or not, this latest injury could further complicate his future with the team.
“I think he’s handled everything well,'' Boone said. "There’s a lot at stake for him and he’s been through a lot over these last several years, injuries. When he has pitched, he’s pitched really well and then this year, when he came back, he really struggled and had an extended struggle when he’s been healthy for the first time in his career. [He] seemed to turn a corner 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, so yeah, it [stinks], you feel for him and we’ll just see what we have.''
Dominguez, on the other hand, again showed why his star appears on the rise to start his major-league career. The rookie centerfielder hit a 407-foot home run to right-centerfield in the third and added his first career stolen base in the sixth.
Dominguez has reached base in all seven of his games and joined Shelley Duncan — his manager at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — as the only Yankees with four home runs in their first seven games. Dominguez is 8-for-27 (.296) with seven RBIs.
That, however, was the Yankees’ last hit of the game. They managed only three baserunners, all by walk, the rest of the game and were outhit 16-3.
The Brewers (78-62) broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run seventh. Andruw Monasterio doubled off Brito to begin the inning before Jonathan Loaisiga allowed RBI singles by William Contreras and Carlos Santana and an RBI double by Adames. Milwaukee added three more runs in the eighth on a two-run double by Monasterio and an RBI single by Santana.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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