Yankees News: Starters Headed For Injured List, Pitching Depth Could Be Issue In 2019 MLB Season

The New York Yankees will likely start the 2019 MLB season without two-fifths of their rotation. Inflammation near Luis Severino’s shoulder right shoulder will force him to be shut down for at least two weeks, and C.C. Sabathia won’t be ready on Opening Day after undergoing knee surgery and angioplasty in the offseason.

Neither pitcher is expected to miss much time, but the Yankees will be forced to rely on unproven starters in the early going if they don’t make a surprising free-agent signing. General manager Brian Cashman has indicated that the team won’t pursue Gio Gonzalez or Dallas Keuchel, both of whom remain unsigned.

“I would say a short DL stint probably. Everything is going pretty well. He had his second pen today. I certainly don’t expect him for the start of the season,” Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone said of Sabathia Wednesday, just one day after Severino was shut down. “It may be a couple of weeks in if everything keeps going according to plan.”

Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga are first in line to start the season in the Yankees’ rotation. They’ve made 18 combined career starts, and both pitchers have an ERA north of 5.00.

Pitching depth could certainly become an issue for the Yankees if they don’t make a move. New York’s rotation is filled with pitchers that have either been inconsistent or don’t have a recent history of starting for an entire MLB season.

Severino has made more than 30 starts in two straight years, but it’s uncertain if he’ll return to being an ace in 2019. The third-place finisher in the 2017 AL Cy Young race was awful in the second half of last season and pitched to a 7.71 ERA in two playoff starts.

New York can only expect to get so many innings from Sabathia, who’s in his final season at 38 years old. The veteran hasn’t reached the 180-inning mark since 2013, and he’s averaged about 150 innings in the last two seasons.

Masahiro Tanaka has never thrown 200 innings in his five MLB seasons, averaging just under 165 innings pitched per year. J.A. Happ might end up being the Yankees’ most reliable starter, considering the left-hander has averaged about 30 starts and a 3.50 ERA in the last four years.

James Paxton was the Yankees’ biggest offseason addition, but the pitcher has plenty to prove. He’s 30 years old and his 160.1 innings in 2018 were a career-high. When Paxton had his best MLB season in 2017 with a 2.98 ERA, he did it in just 136 innings.

The Yankees are hoping to overtake the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. New York finished eight games behind the eventual world champion Red Sox in the division, despite going 100-62.

By re-signing Zack Britton and adding Adam Ottavino, the Yankees solidified the best bullpen in baseball. New York ranked fifth in the AL last year with a 4.05 ERA from their rotation.