Looking at the overall record, one might surmise the Yankees haven't missed Luis Severino this season.
They enter a six-game homestand, which starts Tuesday night against the Angels, at 98-53 and in a tie with the Astros for the best record in the American League. And their magic number is three to clinch the club's first AL East title since 2012.
But, even considering the second-half emergence of James Paxton and Domingo German's surprising breakout season, that record is far more reflective of one of the deepest bullpens in baseball and, of course, an offense that ranks second in the majors with 286 homers.
Still, when Severino makes his 2019 debut Tuesday night, there will be a feeling in the clubhouse of the Yankees being close to "whole" again; an unusual sensation for a team that's been injury-bit all season.
As veteran catcher Austin Romine put it: "We're getting our guy back."
The 25-year-old Severino, out since March with right shoulder inflammation first and then a severe lat strain suffered early in his rehab process, is 33-14 with a 3.18 ERA the last two seasons.
"This is a guy that, the last couple of years, obviously has been in the Cy Young conversation, this is a guy that's a potential ace," Aaron Boone said. "This is a guy that's not only important in the short term to us but our long-term planning...you miss those kind of big innings, big outings a guy like that can give you and how he affects the rest of the staff as well. We've missed another great pitcher capable of matching up with other great pitchers around the league."
Severino, 19-8 with a 3.28 ERA last season � with 220 strikeouts in 191 1/3 innings � came into the spring with Cy Young expectations. But the pitcher, who signed a four-year $40-million extension in mid-February to avoid an arbitration hearing neither him nor the Yankees wanted, felt discomfort warming up the bullpen before his spring training debut March 5 against the Braves and never took the mound that afternoon. It has been a slow road back since � no wonder he used the word "excited" multiple times over the weekend in Toronto when he rejoined the Yankees.
"It's been a long wait, but it happened," Severino said of the injury. "I'm happy that I'm healthy and I'm going to be able to help my team."
What kind of pitcher should fans expect to see?
"The same guy that they've been watching all the past years," Severino said. "Electric guy. I'm going to attack hitters and try to do my best to win games."
Severino made three rehab starts in the minors, the last coming Sept. 11 for Double-A Trenton. In that outing, rival scouts had the righthander's fastball sitting 96-97 mph and touching 98, not far off from a peak Severino, whose fastball regularly sits in the 98 mph range and occasionally hits 100.
"My arm strength was there, I touched 98," Severino said. "And my secondary pitches were there. My slider was there and also my changeup. So I just need to go out and work."
Severino, on a pitch count in the 70-80 range Tuesday, will have three starts to continue building his arm strength and be ready for October. Where and how the Yankees use him then will be determined in the coming weeks, but as Romine and Boone indicated, the team's feeling is it's about to get a significant boost. Just as it did in Toronto with the return of Dellin Betances, the potential of another power, strikeout arm out of the bullpen and Jordan Montgomery, not as likely to be an October option but, still, another healthy pitcher.
"We're getting back one of the best pitchers in the league," Aaron Judge said of Severino. "Like I've said, that's our trade deadline right there, having an ace like that. A big bullpen arm (Betances)...We're getting excited seeing those guys coming back."
