Luis Severino will have MRI after experiencing shoulder tightness

CHICAGO — Luis Severino again has been jilted seemingly in the last moments before being medically cleared to rejoin the Yankees' rotation.

The righthander, nearly fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in February 2020 and the groin injury he suffered in June that further delayed his return, scratched himself from Friday night’s rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, which the Yankees hoped would be his last before being activated from the injured list.

The righthander experienced "tightness" in his right shoulder and will undergo an MRI in New York on Monday, the Yankees said Saturday.

"Very concerning," Aaron Boone said Saturday before the Yankees continued their three-game series against the White Sox. "[Especially] when he’s getting close to being back with us and everything’s gone really well. Enough [discomfort] for him to not make his start, that’s obviously concerning. But at the same time, I don’t want to speculate too much beyond him seeing the doctor and getting images and getting all of the information."

After Friday’s game, RailRiders manager Doug Davis described some of his conversation with Severino to Conor Foley, who covers Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the Times-Tribune.

"He just was down there warming up and didn’t feel right and didn’t feel like he was going to be able to go out there and pitch the way he wanted to, so he just stopped his warmups and told Desi [Druschel, the manager of pitch development] he just wasn’t able to go out there and pitch tonight," Davis said.

Said Boone: "Ultimately they pulled the plug on him making the start, probably wisely, and we’ll see what we have on Monday."

It was yet another setback for Severino, who has experienced more than a few of them since agreeing to a four-year, $40 million extension in mid-February 2019. Shoulder issues began shortly after that and Severino was limited to three regular-season outings in 2019.

Severino was expected back around the All-Star break this season, but he hurt his groin during a rehab outing June 12 with High-A Hudson Valley in a game against the Brooklyn Cyclones. It was the second of what was expected to be four or five rehab outings before his eventual reinstatement from the injured list.

Severino hasn't pitched in a major league game since Oct. 15, 2019, the date of Game 3 of the ALCS against Houston at the Stadium.

After signing Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324 million deal before the 2020 season, the Yankees envisioned the ace as part of a potent 1-2-3 punch that included Severino and Masahiro Tanaka.

But Severino missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and Tanaka went back to Japan last offseason after the Yankees, with whom he wanted to re-sign, showed little to no interest in him for financial reasons.

There was a better than good chance that if Severino had come through Friday night’s start unscathed, he would have made his 2021 debut at some point during the Yankees’ upcoming eight-game homestand.

"I feel awful for him because I know how hard he’s worked," Boone said. "He really is, I feel, in the best shape of his career body-wise, strength-wise. He’s worked really hard to get himself in a really good spot, and so I certainly feel for him in what he’s going through. We’ll find out Monday. Hopefully it’s something that’s just another small bump in the road, but I certainly feel for him today."

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.