TAMPA — Luis Severino believed this year was going to be different — his first fully healthy season since 2018.
Instead, less than a week before Opening Day, Severino was diagnosed with another “low-grade” lat strain that is expected to land him on the injured list to begin the season.
Severino said Sunday he will not throw until he is pain-free, which means an inexact timeline for when he might return to the Yankees’ rotation. But he said even if he needs to miss three or four starts, he does not expect this to be as severe as the lat strain that cost him two months last season.
“I thought this was the year I was going to be — my first year the whole year when there are no injuries,” Severino said Sunday. “But something happened. Hopefully it’s better to happen now than happen in the middle or end of the season. Hopefully this is it and if I miss, even three or four starts, after that, if I can be good for the rest of the season, I’d be blessed.”
Severino was unhappy with the Yankees last season when they transferred him from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to give him more time to build back from the lat strain.
When asked Sunday if he will take his rehab slower because of his lengthy injury history, Severino said it won’t strictly be his decision.
“You know how the Yankees are,” he said. “They’re always pretty cautious about this kind of stuff. So even if I wanted to rush it, they’re not going to let me do it. You know how the Yankees are. Of course, I’m going to be a little bit cautious, but I think the Yankees are going to be more cautious than me.”
Severino, who is playing this year on a $15 million team option, said he is feeling “a little better every day.” He was hopeful that the tightness — which is lower in his back than last year’s lat strain, he said — would subside “in a couple days.”
Aaron Boone confirmed Sunday that relievers Jimmy Cordero and Albert Abreu have made the team.
Shortly after, the Yankees optioned left-hander Matt Krook to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
That leaves one final bullpen spot up for grabs. Barring a trade, it will either go to Greg Weissert or non-roster invitee Ian Hamilton, who has impressed team officials this spring.
The other roster decision left is the extra outfielder. Estevan Florial, who is out of options, could be the choice over non-roster invitees Rafael Ortega and Willie Calhoun.
Nestor Cortes threw a bullpen session Sunday, which keeps him in line to start Tuesday’s exhibition against the Nationals in Washington, D.C. … The Yankees also reassigned C Carlos Narvaez, LHP Nick Ramirez, RHP Tyler Danish and RHP James Norwood to minor league camp.