After a dominant relief appearance against the Mets last week, Severino was thrust back into the Yankees’ rotation, but the matchup at Boston proved too hard for the 22-year-old right-hander.
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“When we watched last night’s start, his fastball command was not great, his slider was somewhat inconsistent – and granted, he’s facing a really hard lineup – and he didn’t throw many changeups”, Joe Girardi said. He lasted only 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday in his first start since May 13, giving up seven hits and five earned runs. The Yankees want him to work on the off-speed pitch in the minors, and they summoned righty Blake Parker to replace him.
Moreover, a changeup once a useful part of Severino’s arsenal was once again nonexistent, the case throughout the spring and earlier this season when he got off to a 0-6 start before losing his spot in the rotation. Girardi said he told Severino to force himself to throw 20 change-ups per start: 10 to right-handed hitters and 10 to lefties. “We really want to finish him off”.
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But the pitcher also acknowledged the obvious. “Yeah, of course”, Severino said, adding that he believed he would get “two or three more, maybe” to show he belonged back in the rotation. “I have to figure it out and come back”. “I really believe this is a short blip. But we need to see more”.
