NEW YORK _ Luis Severino and the Yankees aren't on the same medical page as to when he suffered his lat strain. So the investigation is underway.
"I'm not going to be in a position to provide a Mueller Report _ these are my findings," general manager Brian Cashman said before Wednesday night's game against Boston at Yankee Stadium. "... We're going through the process. I'm personally the one doing it. It doesn't change the fact that he's not going to be available for us, and that's a problem."
One thing seems certain: The right-hander's injury problems began on March 5. Severino was scratched from an exhibition start in Tampa after he felt discomfort while warming up in the bullpen. The Yankees announced he had rotator cuff inflammation following an MRI.
But Severino was unable to get to the step of throwing a bullpen session earlier this month.
"I was playing catch," he said. "I just wasn't progressing with throws. So I knew something was going on, because ... inflammation, that thing goes quickly."
So he had another MRI. That showed the lat strain. But Severino said Wednesday that the area was also an issue on March 5.
"I felt it when I was throwing in the bullpen that they scratched me for the game," Severino said.
But then Cashman contradicted that the lat was an issue at that time.
"It is a new injury," Cashman said. "So March 5, date of injury, he has a complaint, second pitch of the bullpen session. Comes in. It's acting either like a lat or ... rotator cuff. So we do an MRI. The MRI shows no lat injury. It shows inflammation of the rotator cuff. That's why we announced it as is. April 8 MRI shows a Grade 2 strain of the lat."
Cashman said Severino was examined March 23, and there was no complaint of a lat problem. Cashman said Severino kept getting clearances to move forward in his rehab.
Asked whether there was a miscommunication, Severino said he wasn't sure. He also wasn't sure why the lat injury wasn't found with the first MRI when he felt something there, too. So it's a mystery. But the details of when and why didn't seem important to him. "I'm happy now that we found out what's going on and we're on the right way to fix it," Severino said.
The Yankees signed the 25-year-old native of the Dominican Republic in February to a four-year, $40 million deal with a team option for 2023. He went 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA last season, although he lost his way in the second half, going 5-6 with a 5.57 ERA in 12 starts.
Severino said "it's tough" not being able to contribute. He said he feels "pretty good" now, but that he can't throw for five weeks dating from the last MRI.
"I don't have any timeline or nothing like that," Severino said of his return. "I just want to get healthy and help the team."
