Harrison Bader ‘progressing really well,’ Luis Severino resumes throwing
11 min read
Here’s an up-to-date tracker on the Yankees‘ injuries…
April 1, 1:50 p.m.
The Yankees seem to be getting some positive news on the injury front. Aaron Boone provided an update on some of the teams ailing stars prior to Saturday afternoon’s game.
Harrison Bader, who landed on the injured list with a left oblique strain, went for another MRI a few days ago. That imagining showed a ton of improvement, which obviously is good news.
“He’s doing really well. He was swimming in the pool yesterday, he’ll continue to do that this weekend,” Boone said. “If that continues to progress he could start to get a bat in his hand as early as next week or as early as early in the week and start introducing some throwing and things like that.”
Things certainly seem to have gone really well for the outfielder, who has been shutdown for a few weeks now, and he’s trending in the right direction.
On the pitching front, Luis Severino (right lat strain) has begun his build up process, as he threw yesterday and again this morning.
Boone noted that it’s encouraging the right-hander was able to get out there on back-to-back days and feel fine.
“It was good that he came back in today after throwing yesterday,” he said. “It was light-throwing yesterday but came back in asymptomatic today, which is good news, so hopefully onward and upward.”
He also had some good news to share on the bullpen front, as Lou Trivino has also begun throwing and is doing really well.
Though, Boone did add that it could be a bit of a longer and slower process with the nature of his injury. The right-hander, who is dealing with a right elbow strain, was fantastic in relief for the Yankees last season.
Additionally Boone is hopeful that Tommy Kahnle, who recently received a cortisone shot to address his right biceps tendinitis, will also be able to start throwing early next week.
March 30, 10:58 a.m.
Prior to the Yankees’ Opening Day game against the San Francisco Giants, the team made a number of roster moves for those starting the season on the injured list.
LHP Carlos Rodon (left forearm strain) will begin the season on the 15-day IL, retroactive to March 27. The lefty said Monday he is “very encouraged by how he feels” after tossing a 30-pitch bullpen session.
Right-handers Luis Severino (right lat strain), Tommy Kahnle (right bicep tendonitis), Lou Trivino (right elbow strain) and Frankie Montas (right shoulder surgery recovery) were all placed on the 15-day IL as well, retroactive to March 27.
OF Harrison Bader (left oblique strain) was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to March 27, as was catcher Ben Rortvedt (left shoulder aneurysm surgery recovery).
RHPs Luis Gil and Scott Effross were both placed on the 60-day IL due to right elbow surgery recovery.
Additionally, the team recalled RHP Jhony Brito from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and he is expected to start on Sunday, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
March 27, 12:37 p.m.
Carlos Rodon threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Monday, coming out of it “very encouraged by how he feels,” per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Dealing with a mild strain in his forearm, Rodon will begin the season on the Injured List and will not travel with the Yankees when they head to New York for Thursday’s Opening Day matchup with the San Francisco Giants, per Hoch.
Rodon made just one start this spring, allowing five earned runs on six hits in just 2.0 innings against the Atlanta Braves on March 5.
March 25, 11:00 a.m.
Luis Severino has a low-grade right lat strain and is expected to begin the season on the injured list, Aaron Boone said during a news conference Saturday in Clearwater, Fla., before the Yankees’ 1:05 p.m. spring training game at the Philadelphia Phillies, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Clarke Schmidt is in line to start New York’s second game of the season, next Saturday’s 4:05 p.m. matchup with the San Francisco Giants, Boone added.
Severino will not throw for five-to-seven days, Boone said.
The Yankees are weighing their options for the fifth starter, which could wind up being Jhony Brito, Boone added.
Severino, 29, has allowed 15 runs (all earned) on 15 hits (six home runs) while striking out 23 and walking six in 15 innings pitched this spring.
Entering Saturday, the Yankees have four spring training games left before Opening Day next Thursday against the Giants, a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
March 23, 1:23 p.m.
Carlos Rodon, who is working his way back from a mild strain in his left forearm, threw a 15-pitch bullpen session (all fastballs) on Thursday.
Rodon told reporters that he will likely play catch at 90 feet on Friday before throwing another bullpen session — where he plans to mix in his non-fastball arsenal.
The left-hander will begin the season on the IL.
“I could go out there and perform,” Rodon told reporters shortly after suffering his injury. “But am I performing at my best and how long am I going to last throughout the season if I continue down this road? I’m not here to pitch until the All-Star break. I’m here to pitch well into October. If this was down the stretch, yeah, I would be going for sure. If it’s October 5 or the ALDS, I’m taking the ball.”
March 22. 1:26 p.m.
Reliever Tommy Kahnle hasn’t yet made his spring debut for the Yankees, and Aaron Boone explained on Wednesday that it will be a little longer until they see him on the mound.
According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, Kahnle received a cortisone injection on Tuesday as he continues to deal with biceps tendinitis, and it will be “a few more days” before the Yankees hope to begin ramping him back up.
Kahnle, poised to begin his second stint in a Yankees uniform, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020 and hasn’t been fully healthy since, pitching just one game with the Dodgers last season. He recently suffered a setback on his road back to the mound, experiencing arm soreness after a throwing session.
March 14, 9:23 p.m.
Aaron Boone told reporters after Tuesday night’s 10-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays that Jose Trevino hasn’t played since March 9 because he’s been dealing with a right wrist sprain.
The skipper said that he expects his catcher to resume play later this week, although an injection remains a possibility. Nevertheless, Boone believes Trevino will be ready for Opening Day.
March 13, 2:30 p.m.
Yankees slugger Anthony Rizzo took batting practice on Monday and is feeling fine after missing time with a “cranky” back, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
Rizzo received treatment for the back issue while he took time off, Heyman noted.
He was scratched from the lineup on Sunday and manager Aaron Boone said that he expected Rizzo to return on Tuesday when the Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays.
Over five spring training games, Rizzo is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a double and three strikeouts.
March 12, 12:04 p.m.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said prior to Sunday’s spring training game on the road against the Boston Red Sox that Anthony Rizzo was scratched because of a “cranky” back, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Boone expects that Rizzo will play on Tuesday when the team returns from Fort Myers to play the Toronto Blue Jays at home. The manager added that it’s “something we wanted to stay ahead of.”
March 11, 4:20 p.m.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the team’s loss to the Phillies on Saturday that outfielder Harrison Bader will likely need six weeks before he returns to the club.
Bader left Wednesday’s game with an oblique strain, and after undergoing tests the team has determined he’ll need more than a month to recover. That would make Bader’s target date for a return to be around April 20.
March 10, 11:30 a.m.
On Friday, Aaron Boone announced that Harrison Bader will miss time with a strained left oblique. Bader underwent tests on his oblique after feeling discomfort following a swing in Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals.
Boone said there is no timetable for Bader’s return.
March 9, 4:15 p.m.
The Yankees have more potentially bad news on the injury-front this afternoon.
Following Thursday’s spring training game against the Boston Red Sox, New York skipper Aaron Boone said that outfielder Harrison Bader will undergo testing on his left oblique.
Bader felt something while swinging during yesterday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He played five innings and finished the day 0-for-2.
Bader has dealt with his fair-share of injuries throughout his six-year big league career. Having him miss significant time would be a big blow for the Yankees on both sides of the ball.
New York has already lost Carlos Rodon, Tommy Kahnle, and Lou Trivino to injuries earlier today.
March 9, 11:36 a.m.
Carlos Rodon has a mild strain in his left forearm and will begin the regular season on the IL, GM Brian Cashman told reporters.
Rodon will not throw for seven-to-10 days.
He made his first spring training start on March 5, allowing five runs on six hits in 2.0 innings.
“I could go out there and perform,” Rodon told reporters. “But am I performing at my best and how long am I going to last throughout the season if I continue down this road? I’m not here to pitch until the All-Star break. I’m here to pitch well into October,” Rodon said, via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “If this was down the stretch, yeah, I would be going for sure. If it’s October 5 or the ALDS, I’m taking the ball.”
Once Rodon is cleared to throw, he will have to advance from flat ground to the mound and then participate in rehab games.
Cashman noted that “in a perfect world,” Rodon would be able to return at some point in April.
In addition to Rodon, relievers Lou Trivino (elbow strain) and Tommy Kahnle (biceps tendinitis) will also begin the regular season on the IL.
March 8, 9:54 a.m.
Right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas, who had surgery on his right labrum late last month, told reporters that he “for sure” expects to pitch again this season.
Montas said the he will begin playing catch in about nine or 10 weeks.
Once the 29-year-old is cleared to throw, he will have to advance to throwing on the mound before beginning his full ramp-up.
In the event Montas starts playing catch near the end of May, he would likely not be ready to pitch in games until August.
March 5, 5:10 p.m.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Sunday that reliever Tommy Kahnle is currently not throwing due to right bicep tendonitis. The right-hander is still seven days from throwing after being put on a 10-day pause.
Boone added that time remains for the 33-year-old to return before the start of the regular season.
Kahnle returned to the Yankees this offseason after pitching to a 2.84 ERA in 13 appearances with the Dodgers last season.
March 1, 11 a.m.
Catching prospect Austin Wells told reporters Wednesday he fractured his 12th rib and the team is developing a treatment plan.
Wells, who underwent an MRI on Tuesday, believes he will have 7-10 days of no baseball activity before there is a plan in place. This type of injury usually takes 6-8 weeks to heal.
Feb. 22, 2:30 p.m.
Ben Rortvedt has been shut down for a month after he had surgery to address an aneurysm in an artery near his left shoulder.
Feb. 19, 10:45 a.m.
Nestor Cortes won’t pitch in the World Baseball Classic due to a hamstring injury, but will he be ready to go come the the start of the regular season?
The lefty was asked just that on Sunday morning, saying it’s a “possibility” that he’ll be ready for his first start.
“Yeah, I think it’s a possibility,” Cortes said. “The hamstring can be a little tricky sometimes, but I think we’ve done a good job of taking care of it and being on top of it every single day to be as ready as possible.”
Cortes threw off the mound on Friday, which was an earlier return to action than anticipated.
Feb. 17, 11:30 a.m.
Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes returned to the mound in Tampa on Friday morning.
Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake looked on during the bullpen session.
As reported by SNY’s Andy Martino, the left-hander was originally scheduled to miss a few weeks of throwing off of a mound with a right hamstring tweak that kept him out of the World Baseball Classic.
Feb. 15, 1:10 p.m.
Aaron Boone announced that right-hander Frankie Montas will undergo shoulder surgery on Feb. 21, with the best-case scenario being that he returns “late in the season.”
“It’s been a couple different shutdowns where he was getting built up, and then he went out and saw [Dr. Neal ElAttrache] who cleared him to go again, he was building back up, and still wasn’t quite right, so went back and now we’ve gotten to the point where they’re going to go in,” Boone said. “They’ll scope it and then we’ll have a better idea of the timeframe once that happens on the 21st, and then hopefully he’s here a few days later.
“Best case is he would be back late in the season, but we’re really going to know a lot after the 21st.”
Montas, 29, was acquired in a midseason trade with the Oakland A’s last year, pitching to a 6.35 ERA in eight regular season starts for New York.
In brighter news, Boone said that he expects that Nestor Cortes will be ready for Opening Day. The lefty is dealing with a hamstring issue that will keep him out of the World Baseball Classic.
Boone also expects DJ LeMahieu to be ready for the season. The utility man dealt with a fractured toe for a good part of the 2022 season, but he did not end up having surgery.
Feb. 15, 12:20 p.m.
Yankees right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas, who was already expected to miss the first month or so of the season due to a shoulder injury, might need surgery to correct the issue.
Montas is still undergoing testing on the shoulder, pitching coach Matt Blake told reporters on Wednesday, indicating that Montas is going through the process with doctors.
If Montas requires surgery, it is unclear what type of surgery it would be and how long he might be out.
Feb. 13, 1:25 p.m.
Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes will miss the upcoming World Baseball Classic after tweaking his right hamstring.
The left-hander said he has a grade 2 hamstring strain and will not throw off a mound for a few weeks (though he is still throwing on flat ground).
As far as a timetable for his return, Cortes is not ruling out the possibility of being ready for the first week of the regular season.
“It’s definitely doable to start the season off healthy and in the rotation,” he told reporters.
Cortes dealt with a groin injury in late August of last season, landing him on the IL, and then exited Game 4 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros due to a groin injury.
