Yankees News: When Will Luis Severino, C.C. Sabathia, Aaron Hicks Start The 2019 MLB Season?
This is not the way the New York Yankees wanted to start the 2019 MLB season. Ten days after learning Luis Severino would be shut down for at least two weeks because of rotator cuff inflammation, general manager Brian Cashman has announced that the ace will miss all of April.
Yankees’ Opening Day is set for March 28 against the Baltimore Orioles. They’ll play 29 games before May 1.
Two-fifths of New York’s rotation won’t be ready for the start of the season, though Severino is expected to miss the most time. C.C. Sabathia is a little behind schedule after undergoing a knee procedure and angioplasty this offseason.
Sabathia still has to serve a five-game suspension that dates back to the 2018 regular season. The veteran is expected to be ready at some point in April.
Cashman said he doesn’t expect Severino back until May, CC not until sometime in (presumably) mid-to-late April.
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) March 15, 2019
Luis Severino will resume playing catch next week. Said he understands why he won’t be pitching in big league games until May. “I just want to be healthy and help my team.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 15, 2019
Brian Cashman said that the Yankees expect CC Sabathia to be ready for @mlb games in April. They’re considering beginning the year with him on the active roster so they can get his 5-game suspension out of the way.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 15, 2019
Masahiro Tanaka will replace Severino as the Yankees’ Opening Day starter. Luis Cessa, Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga are all competing to earn temporary spots in the rotation.
New York has been hoping for Severino to bounce-back from a poor second half of last season. He looked to be turning into one of MLB’s top stars when he finished third in the 2017 AL Cy Young race and had a 14-2 record before the 2018 All-Star Break.
Severino signed a four-year, $40 million contract early in spring training, buying out his first year of free agency.
Aaron Hicks also signed a contract extension during spring training. A year before the center fielder was set to hit the open market, he inked a seven-year, $70 million deal.
Just like Severino, Hicks could miss the first game of his new contract. The outfielder has been dealing with a sore lower back, and Cashman admitted that Hicks’ status for game No.1 of 162 is now in doubt.
Hicks received a cortisone injection Monday to relieve the pain in his back, which has prevented him from playing in an exhibition game since March 1. He has two hits in nine spring-training at-bats.
It is becoming more realistic that Aaron Hicks will begin the season on the injured list. Brian Cashman said he and Aaron Boone have discussed their roster contingencies if that happens.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 15, 2019
Aaron Hicks is expected to be healthy by March 28, but may need more at-bats in minor league games. That opens the door for Greg Bird and Luke Voit to both make the roster, at least temporarily.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 15, 2019
Hicks is no stranger to injuries. His 137 games last season were a career-high, and he was limited to 88 games in the previous season. Hicks hit a career-high 27 home runs last season.
Clint Frazier could be an outfield option for New York, but he’s hitting just .167 this spring after spending most of last season in the minor leagues or dealing with concussion symptoms.
Jacoby Ellsbury might not be close to returning after missing all of last year.
Giancarlo Stanton could abandon his usual DH role and join Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner in the outfield for a few games later in the month.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.
- MOST POPULAR IN Sports
