Yankees Holding Out Hope That Severino, Germán Will Return Before End of Season
NEW YORK — As Yankees starting pitchers Luis Severino and Domingo Germán continue to work back from the injured list, the calendar is their worst enemy.
The regular season ends in less than one month and both hurlers are running out of time before they can return, ramp up and make an impact with the big-league pitching staff.
Asked Saturday if he still envisions those two coming back to the Bronx before October, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was optimistic, but didn't want to speculate.
"I think there's time," Boone said. "It might be cutting it close in some cases."
Germán landed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation on August 1. Although Boone assured the right-hander is progressing well—he threw a bullpen on Friday and is scheduled to toss another on Monday—he still hasn't faced live hitters.
Severino on the other hand has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery all year long, suffering multiple setbacks along the way that have delayed his return. Since Severino's latest complication—needing an MRI on a tight right shoulder—the right-hander has yet to throw off a mound.
As much as it's unlikely that either of those two hurlers can find their way back into the starting rotation, Boone explained that they could each have different roles if they do make it back to the big leagues in time.
"They could impact us, whether it's out of the bullpen and shorter stints whether it's giving us some bulk, I don't know how much we'll be able to get them built up," he said.
New York's upcoming stretch may very well require a surplus of arms. The Yankees are in the midst of a 20-day stretch with 20 games. In fact, the Bombers have only two more off days through the final day of the regular season (on October 3).
Instead of Germán and Severino, however, odds are Boone will resort to the usage of pitchers like Andrew Heaney or Luis Gil, assuming the rest of the rotation can remain healthy.
That doesn't mean he's not holding out hope, though.
"We've got, what, a month left of the season or so," Boone said. "Instead of speculating on it, we'll see how their progression goes and see at what point they're able to help us and in what role."
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