CHICAGO — After walking through Luis Severino’s outing on Wednesday night, pointing out the persistent lack of execution that’s plagued the right-hander all summer, Yankees manager Aaron Boone took a beat, choosing his words carefully.
“Sevy is feeling it,” he said.
It’s hard to blame him. Severino was once the ace of this team’s staff, one of the rising stars in this league. Now, he has a 8.06 ERA in 14 appearances, the worst ERA of any pitcher that’s thrown more than 40 innings this season.
On Wednesday, he came into the game in relief, trying something new in an effort to help him get back on track. Severino proceeded to allow four runs over two-plus innings, leading to a 9-2 loss.
“I’m willing to do anything to get better,” Severino said in a soft, dejected tone standing in front of his locker after the game. “I’m having the worst year of my life in baseball.”
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It’s been an endless cycle over these last few months. Those wondering if Severino legitimately has it in him to turn his season around are quickly silenced when he gets rocked. Then Boone and other players in the clubhouse have the righty’s back, claiming better days are on the horizon.
Boone said after the game on Wednesday that the Yankees are continuing to “discuss all options” with Severino. He didn’t specify, but we can deduce that a full-time move to the bullpen would be one of those possible next steps for a pitcher that’s grown unusable as a starter.
Another option that hasn’t been brought up yet is sending Severino to a low-level minor-league affiliate. If he truly is willing to do whatever it takes to figure this out and prove he can still start at this level before entering free agency, a trip to the Florida Complex League might be a good one. Take the assignment and get some work in for a few weeks in the shadows, honing in on mechanics.
That’s what Toronto’s Alek Manoah did not long ago after a…
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