Luis Severino in Line to Take Significant Step in TJ Rehab Next Week

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino is set to take another step in his rehab and face hitters for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery

NEW YORK — The Yankees continue to receive good news when it comes to Luis Severino's rehab from Tommy John surgery.

The right-hander is in line to face live hitters next week, toeing the rubber against batters for the first time since elbow surgery last spring.

"I actually texted with Sevy the other day and he's doing really well," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday morning. "That'll be obviously another nice step for him."

Severino began throwing off a mound for the first time early in March, first picking up a baseball earlier this spring. The former ace of New York's staff underwent Tommy John surgery on Feb. 27, 2020.

Yankees' Luis Severino '100 Percent' Confident He'll Return to Form After Tommy John Surgery

Boone and the Yankees have always targeted this summer as Severino's estimated time of return to the pitching rotation. While the skipper has a rough outline in his head of exactly when Severino will rejoin the big-league club—with all the steps the hurler has taken these last several weeks—he chose not to reveal a specific date.

"I think I do have a little bit of a gray outline, but [there are] still obviously significant steps to be taken," Boone said. "I'll just say he's doing well and progressing like I think we all hope."

Entering play on Thursday against Houston, the Yankees' starting rotation has the second-lowest ERA (3.60) in the American League, allowing three earned runs or less in 15 of their previous 16 starts. They have the second-lowest ERA in baseball in that span (2.69).

The rich will get even richer once Severino is able to return with a clean bill of health. dddSeverino won 19 games in his most recent full season (2018), finishing third in the race for the American League Cy Young Award the year before that (with a 2.98 ERA over 31 starts).

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• Yankees' Prospect Austin Wells Continues to Turn Heads As Minor League Season Begins

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