After an MRI on April 10th, Yankees right-handed pitcher Luis Severino is out for another six weeks with a Grade 2 lat strain on his right side, taking him out of any baseball activities. This injury is separate from his right rotator cuff inflammation that he sustained in Spring Training.
This lat strain was not seen in the MRI that revealed Severino’s rotator cuff inflammation, so it is believed that this injury has happened in the time that Severino has thrown during his rehab over the last two weeks.
The Yankees starting rotation is nowhere near the level it once was, with Severino, CC Sabathia, and Jordan Montgomery on the Injured List right now. Sabathia is set to return to start on Sunday, April 14th, in the Yankees series finale against the Chicago White Sox, and this will hopefully help the rotation greatly. Montgomery, however, is not set to return anytime soon, with his hopeful return coming in mid-August.
With these injuries depleting the Yankees rotation, free-agent Dallas Keuchel would bolster the Yankees pitching situation.
Many Yankees fans are quite familiar with the former Cy Young Award winner and two-time All-Star, as he dominated the Yankees in the 2015 American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium. Although Keuchel has not been as dominant as he once was, adding Dallas Keuchel to the Yankees rotation is just one thing that the Yankees could do to improve their pitching.
Posting a career 3.66 ERA and an 18.3 WAR, Keuchel would be a valuable addition to the Yankees rotation, adding another star pitcher for the Yankees to count on in big starts. Not only can the Yankees count on Keuchel to pitch well, but Keuchel is also a four-time Gold Glover, his latest award being given to him last season. In addition to Keuchel’s regular season numbers, he has proved that he can turn it on in the postseason. Keuchel has a 4-2 record in six starts with a 3.31 ERA in the postseason.
The Yankees had looked to young starters Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga to start in place of CC Sabathia and Luis Severino at the beginning of the season. The pair have only started eighteen games in their big league careers, and although the two have had decent starts for the season, a starter the caliber of Keuchel’s is the kind that the Yankees need. Also, once CC comes back, he may not be the pitcher he once was, causing the Yankees to still need some backup with Severino out for as long as he will be.
Keuchel has been connected with multiple teams as of late, such as the Phillies, Mets, Brewers, and the White Sox. As a result, the Yankees need to act fast to sign this coveted free-agent, as many teams very well could before the Yankees have the chance.
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