Yankees reliever is set to open Wednesday night’s series finale against the , starting in place of the struggling , the team said.
Severino, who entered Wednesday with a 7.74 ERA, is out of the bullpen.
“We were gonna see what we kind of had available and what we had to work with going into today’s game,” manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday afternoon. “Just felt like [Hamilton is] the best guy to start it out for us, and then hopefully Sevy can come in and do his thing.”
Severino is coming off back-to-back rough outings. He , including seven in the first inning, against the Baltimore Orioles on July 30, then surrendered five runs, including three in the opening frame, to the Houston Astros last Friday.
The Yankees didn’t announce Wednesday’s pitching plans until a few hours before the game, but Boone had acknowledged Friday that moving Severino to the bullpen was possible, saying,
“We got to get him on track, too, and hopefully this is something that can be the start of that,” Boone said Wednesday. “I think just taking a little pressure off that first [inning], the top of the order, that first go-round, hopefully get him in there at a better spot where he can take off.”
How many innings Severino pitches in Wednesday’s game will depend on his effectiveness, the manager said.
Boone said he respects that Severino, a two-time All-Star and impending free agent, wants to be a starter. Severino said Friday that he was open to “whatever they need me to do.”
“I’m not going to lie, every time I give up a homer or a run in the first inning, it’s like, ‘Jesus Christ, what am I doing?’ And I start looking for different stuff,” Severino said at the time. “Is this mechanics? Is this tipping [pitches]?”
It’s been a difficult few days for the Yankees rotation. Carlos Rodon, who has a 7.33 ERA, with a left hamstring strain Monday after missing the season’s first three months with forearm and back issues. Last week, the Yankees likely lost Domingo German for the year as .
Wednesday marks the second career start for Hamilton, who also opened the Yankees’ July 1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed one run and three hits in an inning of work that day.
The 28-year-old Hamilton, who is in his first season with the Yankees, entered Wednesday’s game with a 1.67 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 37.2 innings this season. He has not pitched more than three innings in an outing.
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