The New York Yankees’ pitching rotation has been missing a few key pieces ever since the start of the 2023 MLB season. Firstly their most desired acquisition, Carlos Rodon, landed on IL due to forearm strain which later turned into a chronic back issue. Yes, you read that right. Only Rodon knows what is going on with him right now. Anyways, next, the team lost Luis Severino to a lat strain. Not to forget Frankie Montas, whose shoulder injury resurfaced prior to spring.
As a result, ace Gerrit Cole remained the only healthy pitcher in the starting rotation. The Yankees then called in reinforcements from minor league and also banked on the bullpen strength to close out the games. Coming back to Luis Severino, the pitcher endured a lot in this last month. Despite his claim of being 100% healthy, the Yankees management seemed to disagree and disregarded Luis’ assessment by delaying his rehab assignment, which eventually delayed his comeback. Nonetheless, after a whole lot of drama, the pitcher made his season debut in style this weekend.
Luis Severino Has Arrived In Style For The Yankees
The New York Yankees management and RHP Luis Severino were at crossroads a couple of weeks ago. The duo had a disagreement over the pitcher’s return timeline. Luis claimed he was ready to pitch in the majors, whereas the Yankees conditioning team maintained that the pitcher needs some time and an extra rehab assignment to be game ready. Severino expressed his displeasure in an open forum before convincing the Bombers’ management to trust his gut. At last, the Yankees came around and reinstated Severino from 15-day IL on Sunday. The pitcher lost no time and immediately made his season debut on the same day against the Cincinnati Reds.
Luis Severino started off well by controlling his fastball with impressive velocity. He pitched 4 innings, gave away four hits, one run, and struck out five hitters in the process. As soon as his velocity started dropping in the fifth, Aaron Boone pulled him out. Regardless, it was an impressive debut for Severino, who said he gave it all and was happy with the results. The manager praised the pitcher by calling his outing “sharp.” Center-fielder, Harrison Bader, added he had the best view of Luis from the center, and he adored his pitches. Bader feels he has improved a lot before, and he looks forward to seeing him slay on the mound. Overall, Luis Severino’s return has calmed the pitching crisis temporarily. However, the rotation is still incomplete in the absence of Carlos Rodon.
Ben Rortvedt Shines On Major League Debut
Catcher Ben Rortvedt finally made his major league debut for the Yankees after a wait of one whole season. He arrived in the Bronx from Minnesota via trade in 2022. However, a series of unfortunate injuries derailed his growth in the majors. Regardless, the catcher made a thumping start in the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, which earned him the major league call-up. Jose Trevino strained his hamstring and got placed on a 10-day IL. That opened up the major league door for Ben.
The catcher also received a chance to feature in the starting line just two days later, and he made it count. In his first at-bat wearing the pinstripes, Ben hit a double off Red’s Luke Weaver. Later, the catcher ended up scoring his first runs for the team as a result of an RBI from Aaron Judge. He could not contribute much in the following two at-bats but still went home pretty happy. It remains to be seen how long Ben Rortvedt keeps his place on the roster.
