Yankees' Luis Severino Perfect in Latest Rehab Start, Pitching in Combined No-Hitter

Luis Severino's latest rehab start was perfect. 

The right-hander twirled four flawless frames for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on Sunday evening, retiring all 12 batters he faced in order. 

Severino struck out four of the final six hitters he faced, including MLB Pipeline's top prospect Adley Rutschman, finishing with five strikeouts (and a total of 48 pitches).

While Sunday marked another productive and promising step forward for Severino in his rehab from Tommy John surgery—and a setback a few months ago—it was also part of a historic performance.

Factor in another four spotless innings from pitchers Shawn Semple, along with a clean ninth from Ron Marinaccio, and the Patriots wound up throwing a combined no-hitter, the first in franchise history. 

In fact, it was nearly a perfect game. Marinaccio walked a batter on four pitches with one out in the ninth inning, the first baserunner of the day for the Bowie Baysox.

Severino's outing on Sunday was his second with the Patriots this month, bouncing back from a bit of a bumpy performance on August 3, allowing two runs over 2.1 innings. The right-hander hasn't pitched at the big-league level since the 2019 postseason, undergoing Tommy John surgery the following spring. 

Before losing to the Mariners on Sunday afternoon, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked if Severino could make the jump to the Bronx following his rehab start with Somerset. 

"I don't think so," Boone said. "We'll get through today with him and hopefully everything goes well there and I think probably in line to at least make his next one as well."

If that's the case, Severino could pitch again on August 13, if he stays on his five-day routine. Barring any setbacks, it seems like the right-hander is on track to rejoin the rotation in pinstripes by the end of the month. 

With only 48 pitches on Sunday, however, he still has some work to do when it comes to building up his pitch count. Considering other hurlers on the injured list—like Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Corey Kluber and Domingo Germán—could also return before September, New York is poised to have a surplus of arms if everyone stays healthy. 

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