Yankees RHP Luis Severino will be shut down for at least two weeks due to rotator cuff inflammation, with Severino confident he will be able to begin a throwing program as soon as the two weeks are up on March 19.
But how long will it be until he's back on the mound in the majors?
"Fortunately he does not have a tear so once he is cleared for baseball activity, he should be able to progress back to playing in about six weeks as long as he continues to improve with the throwing program," said Dr. Alexis Chiang Colvin, an Associate Professor of Sports Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital.
That timeframe would put Severino back in the Yankees' rotation right around May 1.
As far as the potential of the rotator cuff issue flaring up again during the season, Dr. Colvin -- who specializes in surgical treatment of knee, shoulder, and hip disorders -- said "It could, but the rehabilitation will hopefully prevent it from acting up again."
Severino was scratched from his start on Tuesday -- which would've been his Grapefruit League debut -- after feeling discomfort in his shoulder/lat area while warming up before the game. He later received an MRI, which came back clean aside from the inflammation.
The 25-year-old Severino is receiving a cortisone injection on Wednesday. He will also receive anti-inflammatories before a throwing program is outlined.
Since Severino has not yet made a start during Spring Training, he will have to build up to the point where he will be able to go deep in games before returning to the Yankees.
With Severino on the shelf, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters Wednesday that the Yankees are "going to rely on what's in camp" to replace Severino, but gave a qualifier that they will be open to external replacements depending on who they are.
The internal options to replace Severino are likely Jonathan Loaisiga, Domingo German, and Luis Cessa.
If the Yankees go external, starting pitching options remaining on the free agent market include Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez.
Severino, who recently signed a four year extension worth $40 million, was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the first half of the 2018 season. But he struggled badly from July 7 through the end of the regular season, posting a 5.67 ERA while allowing 90 hits (including 13 homers) in 73 innings pitched (14 starts).