Yankees News: Luis Severino's Return Delayed at Least 1 Month After Groin Injury

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (h/t Lindsey Adler of The Athletic) on Tuesday that starting pitcher Luis Severino has a Grade 2 groin strain that will delay his return to the field by at least one month.

Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Severino may "possibly" be back by late July or early August.

Severino, 27, excelled for the Yankees during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, going 33-14 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 450 strikeouts in 384.2 innings.

However, Severino was limited to just five starts (three regular season, two playoffs) in 2019 due to rotator cuff inflammation on his right shoulder and then a Grade 2 lat strain.

Severino's bad lack continued the following year when a torn UCL in his right elbow forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery in Feb. 2020. He missed the entire 2020 campaign.

The Yanks placed him on the 60-day injured list in Feb. 2021 as he continued his recovery. He made his first rehab start on Sunday, June 6, and looked good for the Single-A Tampa Tarpons, per Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated:

Unfortunately, Severino left a rehab start with the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades last Saturday with the groin injury after throwing just 1.2 innings.

"The 27-year-old began to hobble quickly after throwing a pitch in the second inning," per the Associated Press. "He limped behind the mound, struggling to put weight on his right leg. Coaches and a trainer had to help him off the field."

The Severino report is just another piece of bad news for the slumping Yankees, who have lost 13 of their last 18 games to fall to 33-32 and fourth place in the American League East. They'll look to rebound against the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game road set in Buffalo, New York that begins Tuesday.