Severino's lat '90 percent healed,' could throw in 1 week

Luis Severino's long road back to the New York Yankees' rotation is slowly nearing its end, but the right-hander has not begun throwing yet.

He was recently shut down due to soreness in his injured lat and underwent an MRI, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

The lat is "90 percent healed," according to Boone, but the two-time All-Star won't start throwing off a mound until it has healed completely. The manager added that this could be after another five-to-seven days.

Severino hasn't pitched yet this season after opening the year on the injured list with a shoulder issue. He later sustained a separate lat ailment that has prolonged the recovery process.

Over the last two seasons, the 25-year-old has grown integral to the Yankees' pitching staff. In that time, he's gone 33-14 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 450 strikeouts in 384 2/3 innings.

While the Yankees could certainly use him, the team's rotation has put up a respectable 4.13 ERA in his absence, ninth-best in the majors.