MLB PLAYER NEWS

Yankees set to promote RHP Severino

The Sports Xchange

August 02, 2015 at 10:12 pm.

Mar 3, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Luis Severino (91) throws a pitch during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during a spring training baseball game at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino is set to make his MLB debut.   Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO — New York Yankees fans are anxious to see top prospect Luis Severino make his major league debut, and so is manager Joe Girardi.

The team is not only leading the American League East, but also is undergoing a youth movement. Severino, however, is a different breed of prospect than the 13 other rookies who already made their major league debuts for New York this season.

The right-hander throws hard, has great movement on his off-speed pitches and rocketed through the Yankees’ developmental system. Now, he will take the mound Wednesday wearing the famed pinstripes at Yankee Stadium against the rival Boston Red Sox.

“I’m excited to see Severino,” Girardi said Sunday prior to the Yankees’ 12-3 win that decided a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. “There’s been a lot of talk about him. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. I’m not going to make too much of one start, two starts, three starts. I know the kid is talented, and I know at some point he’s really going to help us. I think we’re all interested to see how he handles it.”

Severino, 21, is handling Triple-A with little trouble, just as he handled the lower levels of the minors.

Through 11 starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he is 7-0 with a 1.91 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 50 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings.

Combined with what he did at Double-A Trenton in eight starts, Severino is 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings in 19 minor league starts this season.

“The thing is, we haven’t really seen a lot of him, so it’s really hard to know what to expect,” Girardi said. “When you have those expectations of a young player, sometimes it can be difficult. That’s why when I see him, I tell him, ‘Just be yourself, do the best you can (and) give the best you’ve got.”

If the outing goes well for Severino, it could be a needed shot in the arm for the Yankees’ pitching staff. The team is down a starter after right-hander Michael Pineda was placed on the 15-day disabled list last week, and it lost another arm to the DL on Sunday, when right-handed rookie Diego Moreno was sidelined by right elbow inflammation.

If Severino impresses in his first taste of the majors, Girardi will be hard pressed to contain enthusiasm of fans and media, not to mention his own.

“This kid rose through the ranks pretty quickly,” Girardi said. “He’s fairly young, so I think people are pretty excited.”