Yankees pitcher Luis Severino has been impressive during his rehab at spring training this past week, as the 27-year-old is a little over a year removed from having Tommy John surgery.

Bullpen coach Mike Harkey spoke to media on Saturday to discuss Severino's progress and what he's seen from the righty after he threw a bullpen session for the first time.

“I’ve seen a lot of first-time bullpens after Tommy John, and watching Sevy's, it was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever seen a player throwing his bullpen and probably the most aggressive I’ve seen from a player," Harkey said. "It looked like he had zero apprehension, or zero worry about whether his surgically repaired elbow was sound. And that for me was probably the biggest thing. He's probably still looking at twenty, thirty more bullpens, and a lot more live batting practices and then games. So he's still a long way away, but very encouraging first time."

Harkey has been a pitching coaching since 2006 after an eight-year career as a player. He coached with the Yankees from 2008-2013, before re-joining the team in 2016.

Over his career he's seen plenty of players' rehabs, and has noticed how Severino's body has improved during this time.

"It's all because of hard work," Harkey said. "He's worked his tail off to get to this point. Having been through a series of serious injuries, and rehabbing for months and a year, it takes a toll on your mind. It definitely takes a toll on your body, but it also gives you a chance that if you dig into it, you can do things now to your body that you weren't able to do when you were healthy because you have that extra time. When he does come back, I think he's gonna be much stronger."

Severino went 1-1 with an 1.50 ERA during the 2019 season before a shoulder injury ended his year early. He finished ninth in Cy Young Award voting in 2018 after going 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA, and finished third in voting in 2017 after posting a 14-6 record with a 2.98 ERA.

The two-time All-Star signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension with an option for a fifth year on Feb. 15, 2019. He'll start the 2021 season on the 60-day injured list and could return to the team after the All-Star break.

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