Yankees' Severino to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery
Luis Severino's 2020 campaign is over before it even started.
The New York Yankees right-hander will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on Thursday, the team announced Tuesday night. The procedure will be done by Dr. David Altcheck at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery.
"Doctors have concluded that Tommy John is necessary," general manager Brian Cashman said earlier in the day, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "Obviously, Sevy acknowledged and agreed that the surgery is necessary. His plan is to have it done as soon as possible and he's contemplating the doctors and who to do it with."
An MRI revealed a partial UCL tear in the starting pitcher's elbow, according to Sweeny Murti of WFAN.
Severino, 26, was shut down last Friday after experiencing on-and-off forearm soreness dating back to his last start of the 2019 ALCS.
The two-time All-Star only made three starts during the 2019 regular season after dealing with numerous injuries.
In a statement, Severino confirmed that he would undergo the surgery and expressed his disappointment over losing the 2020 season.
"I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to put on a Yankees uniform and compete with my teammates this year, but I promise that I will be working tirelessly during this process to come back stronger than ever to make the greatest fans in baseball proud," the statement read.
New York gave Severino a four-year, $40-million extension in February 2019.
Cashman said the club will try to fill Severino's spot in the starting rotation internally.
"You rely on your depth," he said. "I wouldn't expect any domino effect or cause and effect in terms of us being able to go to marketplace. The winter marketplace this time of year, it doesn't exist."
The Yankees' rotation was already missing two projected starters before the Severino news. Left-hander James Paxton is expected to miss three-to-four months after having back surgery in early February, and right-hander Domingo German won't return until some point in June due to a domestic violence suspension.
The club will likely go with Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, Jordan Montgomery, and Jonathan Loaisiga to start the upcoming campaign.