After a few days of uncertainty regarding Luis Severino's status, the Yankees got their answer on Tuesday, as the club announced that the right-hander will have Tommy John Surgery on Thursday after feeling discomfort throwing change-ups in Tampa at spring training. 

So now that the Bombers know for sure that Severino will miss the 2020 season, combined with the fact that James Paxton will miss extended time due to back surgery, where does the team go from here?

GM Brian Cashman told reporters on Tuesday that he doesn't expect any immediate "domino effect" in terms of immediate trades, and SNY's Andy Martino explained on Tuesday's Baseball Night in New York that the team is comfortable with their internal options. 

In Luis Severino's first public comments since Brian Cashman announced that the right-hander would need to undergo Tommy John surgery, the two-time All-Star promised to come back "stronger than ever."

Severino, via a statement released on Tuesday evening, confirmed that he has elected to have the surgery after consulting with the Yankees, his family, and his representatives. He also said that he is "extremely disappointed that I will not be able to put on a Yankees uniform and compete with my teammates this year."

Luis Severino has released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/SDIMegu2Mm

Tags: Aaron Judge, J.A. Happ, James Paxton, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka

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New York City should expect some hardware to arrive in the next few months, as both Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom and Yankees new ace Gerrit Cole are the favorites to bring home the Cy Young awards in their respective leagues this season.

William Hill sportsbook has both deGrom and Cole as 3/1 favorites to win the award in 2020.

"DeGrom has won two Cy Youngs in a row and is in his prime, and Cole is coming off of one of the greatest pitching years of all time," said Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill's director of trading, according to The Post.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Just over a year ago, when word spread through the Yankees spring training complex in Tampa that the team had agreed to a four-year, $40 million contract extension with Luis Severino, the first blush of criticism fell on the pitcher and his agents.

Agents, rival executives and some players wondered how the young ace could settle for such a below-market deal. 

With MLB Spring Training well underway in Florida and Arizona, farm systems and their prospects are getting an extra look at this time of the year.

The Athletic's Keith Law put together his Top 100 prospects for 2020, and had three Yankees on his list: 

51. Clarke Schmidt, RHP, New York Yankees

The Yankees' often injured first round pick from 2017 finally looked healthier last season, after already having Tommy John surgery before the team drafted him and then barely pitching in 2018 due to an oblique strain. Schmidt threw 90.2 innings in the minors and found his way all the way up to Double A ball by the end of the year.

Yankees RHP Luis Severino will undergo Tommy John surgery, GM Brian Cashman said Tuesday.

With Tommy John surgery requiring a recovery time for pitchers of 12-to-18 months, Severino's 2020 season is over. And he could potentially miss the beginning of the 2021 season as well.

"Sevy has acknowledged and agreed the surgery is necessary," Cashman said. "His plan is to have it done as soon as possible. He's obviously contemplating the doctors and who to do it with. He's still working through the process."

The Yankees have lost Luis Severino for the season due to Tommy John surgery, causing one sportsbook (so far) to remove the Bombers as the favorites to win the 2020 World Series.

DraftKings Sportsbook now has the Yanks at +400 to win it all, behind the Dodgers, who are at +375.

Since signing Gerrit Cole, the Yanks have been viewed by most as the odds-on favorite to win the World Series.

Here are the full new odds from DraftKings:

Despite the news of Luis Severino needing Tommy John Surgery, the Yankees still had baseball to play on Tuesday, and Rosell Herrera had himself a big game in the 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. >> Box score

5 things to know from Tuesday's game...

1) Nick Tropeano got the start for the Yankees and put together a nice showing, allowing just one hit and no runs, while striking out a batter in two innings. Pitching prospect Brooks Kriske gave up the lone run on a home run, but struck out the other two batters in his one inning of the day.

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who has been dealing with a shoulder issue, could make his Grapefruit League debut at some point next week, manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.

After being shut down from hitting for a few days (and not throwing at the beginning of last week), Judge began his hitting program this past Friday.

Judge had been prohibited from hitting since last Monday, but he and Boone have viewed his shoulder issue as minor.

Gerrit Cole started on the mound for the Yankees on Monday, and though he threw just one inning, he showcased exactly why the Yankees are confident he'll be their ace for years to come.

Cole opened up his outing getting Adam Frazier pop out to shortstop, then struck out Bryan Reynolds for the second out of the inning. He walked Cole Tucker, but recovered to strike out Josh Bell to end the inning.

All told, Cole threw 20 pitches (12 strikes), and according to those in Tampa, hit 98 mph on the stadium radar gun. 

Gerrit Cole started for the Yankees and threw a scoreless first, but the Yankees and Pirates played to a 3-3 spring training tie on Monday. >> Box score

5 things to know from Monday's game...

1) Yankees fans likely couldn't have hoped for anything more out of Cole's spring training debut. He got leadoff hitter Adam Frazier to pop out to shortstop before striking out Bryan Reynolds. He walked Cole Tucker on four pitches, but recovered to get Josh Bell swinging to end the inning.

Gerrit Cole made his spring training debut for the Yankees on Monday and did not disappoint. The right-hander struck out a pair of Pirates in his one inning of work, retiring the side on 20 pitches without allowing a run.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Days before Miguel Andujar decided to have season-ending shoulder surgery last May, the team was preparing to option him to Triple-A Scranton.

Andujar had finished in second place the year before in American League Rookie of the Year voting, but was not performing after a return from the disabled list. The Yankees couldn't carry him anymore. 

Everyone involved concluded that the issue was injury, not talent or skill, so Andujar made the difficult decision to shut it down for the year.

Yankees Hall of Famer and Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter, like many, told reporters on Monday that the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal was a big-time blemish for baseball. 

That doesn't mean Jeter was all that surprised by it happening, though.

"It's like a slow drip of responses coming out from everyone," Jeter said. "You hope at some point people can just move on. But, look, it's unfortunate. It's a black eye for the sport."

Back on the diamond for his first baseball game since May 12, Miguel Andujar dug into the box in the bottom of the fifth inning Sunday and reminded the crowd at George M. Steinbrenner Field that he can still swing the bat.

Andujar, who slashed .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI in 149 games as a rookie in 2018, smacked a two-out solo shot to right field off LHP Anthony Banda and highlighted the Yankees' 9-7 spring training loss against the Rays.

After missing most of 2019 with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, slashing .128/.143/.128 with one RBI in 12 games before undergoing season-ending surgery May 20, Andujar told reporters Sunday that he had not faced live-game pitching since then.

Miguel Andujar blasted a solo home run in the fifth inning, but the Yankees would go on to fall to the Rays 9-7 on Sunday afternoon. >> Box score

5 things to know from Sunday's game...

1) In the top half of the first inning, Trey Amburgey doubled to left field to score Estevan Florial and give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Jonathan Loaisiga then tossed a shutout first inning, striking out Rays leadoff man Austin Meadows to start the game. 

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

True, it's early in spring training. But with the way injuries have piled up for the Yankees since 2019, including in camp, it's never too early to consider contingency plans. 

That's why we've cooked up a look at what the club's rotation might be like on Opening Day if Luis Severino is not healthy enough to start the season. 

J.A. Happ pitched two perfect innings in the Yankees' opening game of spring training, but the Bombers lost to the Blue Jays by a final score of 2-1 on Saturday. >> Box score

5 things to know from Saturday's game...

1) Happ faced six projected Blue Jays regulars over his two innings and retired all of them, including strikeouts of Cavan Biggio, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk. 

The Yankees won't have pitcher James Paxton when the team breaks camp in a few weeks, after the left-hander underwent surgery earlier this month to remove a peridiscal cyst. 

But manager Aaron Boone is optimistic the starting pitcher could re-join the team sometime in May.

"Paxton is on track to start throwing in the next 10 days or so," Boone said on the radio broadcast of Saturday's spring training game against the Blue Jays. "I think there is a really good chance that he'll be ready sometime in May. He's doing well and we're excited about where he's at."

Mark Teixeira was a Yankee for eight seasons, the final three of which were spent as a teammate of Carlos Beltran. When Beltran was implicated in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal, The Athletic reported that he had told his new teammates that they were "behind the times." in regards to their efforts to decipher opponents' signals. 

Does that mean his immediate former team, the Yankees, were the ones that were setting the standard? According to the Post, Teixeira says not so fast.

"I don't believe any of my Yankee teammates ever broke the rules by passing along signs to hitters in real time," Teixeira said. "We would have seen it."

As Spring Training begins in Tampa, the Yankees are looking to have a much healthier season than the one they went through in 2019, when it seemed like almost every player spent time on the injured list. 

But things haven't gotten off to a great start.

Luis Severino, who started just three regular-season games for the Yankees in 2019 due to a rotator cuff injury, once again is dealing with an arm ailment.

The 26-year-old has been shut down from pitching at spring training and was sent to New York for further testing of his arm, per Aaron Boone.

Clint Frazier played in just 69 games for the Yankees in 2019, mainly when the team was dealing with injuries in the outfield. The 25-year-old split his time between the big leagues and in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

This season, Frazier is focused on making the Yankees' Opening Day roster, especially since the MLB expanded roster sizes by one player to 26 total players.

At one point, I was starting left field (for the Yankees)," Frazier told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. "And then at another point, I was starting left field in (Triple-A) Scranton. I have my eyes on that other spot (starting for Yankees)

In light of Thursday's news that Luis Severino would be shut down at spring training and Friday's frustrating comments from the two-time All-Star RHP, manager Aaron Boone wanted to add more clarity but couldn't.

Meeting with reporters early Friday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Boone was asked about Severino's situation. The Yankees, however, still don't know what's wrong with the 26-year-old.

After forearem soreness from late in the 2019 season resurfaced, Severino is set to leave Tampa and head for New York, where he will undergo further tests starting Monday.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Before the Yankees' spring camp opened, Jordan Montgomery figured to be one of a number of hopefuls competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. But with another pinstriped injury-a-thon perhaps cranking up, Montgomery has soared in importance and maybe moved up the pitching depth chart.

James Paxton is out until at least May following back surgery and now Luis Severino is dealing with right forearm soreness and could start the season on the Injured List. Domingo German still has 63 games left to serve on his 81-game domestic violence suspension.

So bump up Montgomery to fourth in the rotation, following Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ, at least for now? Sure, since he has more big-league starting experience than rotation candidates such as Luis Cessa, Deivi Garcia, Michael King and Jonathan Loaisiga.

Yankees RHP Luis Severino voiced his frustration early Friday morning, a day after new broke that he's been shut down at spring training due to forearm soreness.

"It's definitely frustrating to hear this stuff again ... it is so weird, I don't get it," Severino said, according to SNY contributor Sweeny Murti

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch added that Severino said he only feels discomfort when he throws a changeup, which is why he doesn't believe the "loose body" in his elbow is the cause. Severino is scheduled to see a doctor on Friday.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

It's easy to get scouts and executives gushing when you bring up Gleyber Torres and his prospects for the 2020 season: 

"He's a young star and the Yankees have every reason to be thrilled about him," says one competing club official.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

PORT ST. LUCIE -- The voices pushing MLB to strip the Houston Astros of their 2017 championship have grown louder this week, with the Yankees' Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton joining the chorus.

Baseball players, executives and fans are angry and unsatisfied, wanting the Astros to face stiffer consequences for their cheating. According to two high-ranking rival executives, many owners are far more angry about the scandal -- and at Astros owner Jim Crane personally -- than the league anticipated they would be.

MLB understands all this, but remains unlikely to take the aggressive step for which many are calling.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Thursday that RHP Luis Severino will be shut down, as he is dealing with forearm soreness. He called the issue "concerning," per YES Network's Jack Curry.

Boone explained how Severino has been dealing with that soreness since his last start in the ALCS. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch added that Boone said Severino, who turned 26 years old Thursday, has a loose body in his pitching elbow as well.  

GM Brian Cashman said that Severino won't be seeing Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Friday, as Boone had said, and he has been prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and rest in the meantime. Newsday's David Lennon says Severino will be seeing an orthopedist on Friday instead.

Aaron Judge, who has been dealing with soreness in his right shoulder, will begin his hitting program on Friday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday.

Judge has not been allowed to hit since Monday and has already been ruled out of the team's Grapefruit League opener, which is Saturday against the Blue Jays.

But both Boone and Judge viewed the issue as minor, and with Judge beginning his hitting program on Friday, it's fair to believe he'll be able to hit in games before too long.

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With the Yankees kicking off their spring training schedule on Saturday when they open Grapefruit League play against the Blue Jays, we're about to go from "best shape of his life" stories that often don't matter to game results that never matter.

While it will be fun to see Aaron Judge taking his hacks against another team's pitcher and Gerrit Cole's glare 60 feet, six inches away, it's important to enjoy these games for what they are: fun distractions on the march to the first game that actually matters, when the Yankees travel to Baltimore to face the Orioles on March 26.

Since the Yankees reported to Spring Training over the past week in Tampa, Florida, players have naturally been asked about the Astros' electronic sign-stealing scandal.

Yankees CF Aaron Hicks became the latest to do so Wednesday, and he didn't hold back on his stance when speaking with SNY contributor Sweeny Murti.

Hicks -- who faced the Astros in New York's 2017 and '19 ALCS losses, which respectively went seven and six games -- echoed his teammates' sentiments from the past few days when he expressed frustration with Houston's cheating.

Roughly four months removed from surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Yankees CF Aaron Hicks told SNY contributor Sweeny Murti that the recovery has gone well.

During a 1-on-1 interview Wednesday at Spring Training in Tampa, Florida, Hicks told Murti about his rehabilitation process, which he admitted has seen ups and downs on the 30-year-old's road back to the field.

"I feel great," Hicks told Murti. "I feel like my arm is recovering good, recovering fast and I'm kind of just ready to get things going. The first couple of months were kind of slow, just trying to get strength back and stuff like that with grip strength. So pretty much just trying to just kind of enjoy the ride right now, because I know it's a long road, but just excited for the future."

Luis Severino is aiming for a big bounce-back season with the Yankees in 2020, and if it looks anything like his handful of games late last year, the team will definitely be happy. 

Severino was solid at the very end of the regular season and pitched well in the postseason. Heading into spring training, he told SNY contributor Sweeny Murti that he is feeling great, and that can be attributed to some offseason tweaks. 

"I feel pretty great," he said. "Last year was a tough year for me, but this year I changed a little bit of my routine. We talked to the trainers and made a really good program to come here healthy."

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said last Thursday that he didn't know about his former Astros team's electronic sign stealing, and he doubled down on his initial comments during Wednesday's media availability.

More than one week into Spring Training at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, the Astros' scandal has dominated the discussion around the Yankees.

Cole, who played for Houston from 2018-19 before signing a nine-year contract worth $324 million with New York, was asked about the strong comments made in recent days by his new Yankees teammates regarding the Astros' cheating.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole faces live batters during spring training in Tampa, Fla. on Wednesday.

Yankees OF Aaron Judge explained how he has been feeling soreness in his shoulder for about a week now on Tuesday, and manager Aaron Boone said that it will likely lead to him missing at least the team's first spring training game on Saturday. 

But it might not be any longer than that. 

Judge was seen throwing at practice on Wednesday, and Boone gave an update on the All-Star's status.

Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Yankees spring training is in full swing down in Tampa, as players gear up for the start of games at the end of the week. It is during these games that position battles will start to heat up, and players on the bubble will fight for roster spots.

We made a couple of tweaks to our Opening Day roster from our original prediction to the 2.0 version, and after a few developments already at camp, the same can be said for this one.

So, without further ado, let's look at the starting lineup...

Executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association Tony Clark was down in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday to talk with the Mets, but also took time to answer some questions about the Astros sign-stealing scandal. 

MLBPA released a statement following MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's comments saying the union had pushed back after the league wouldn't rule out disciplining players when trying to make progress within the investigation. Clark said that anything regarding the obstruction of the investigation "is completely untrue."

Clark continued to comment on the immunity situation, saying that disciplining players wasn't even in the initial conversations before the investigations began. 

DJ LeMahieu was the Yankees' MVP last season after positing career numbers in multiple categories, and providing a team wrecked by injuries with consistent production. 

And because of that production, the Yankees might be extending another contract to LeMahieu soon.

According to The Post's Ken Davidoff, it's something that LeMahieu said Wednesday morning he was definitely open to. No conversations have begun yet, however LeMahieu said, "But obviously, I love it here."

Another day, another Yankee spitting fire at the Astros in the wake of the electronic sign-stealing scandal.

On Wednesday, it was Giancarlo Stanton, holding nothing back while taking Houston to task for selective remorse while adding that he's lost respect for them and that they should be stripped of the 2017 World Series title. 

"You're only really sorry because you got caught," Stanton said, according to Erik Boland of Newsday.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has drawn criticism lately over how the league has handled the Houston Astros' sign-stealing saga.

A large amount of that criticism has come from players around the league, such as Nick Markakis, who voiced his displeasure in the fact that no Astros players were penalized for what was called a "player-driven" sign-stealing system in the league's official investigation. 

"I feel like every single guy over there needs a beating," the Braves outfielder told reporters, continuing: "The way [Manfred] handled the situation, he should be embarrassed of himself."

The reason why no players have been punished is that MLB, in working with the Players Association, granted complete "blanket immunity" in exchange for information, a fact that Manfred touched on this past Sunday, but then dug deeper into at a press conference on Tuesday evening. 

Miguel Andujar's role this season has been a question ever since Gio Urshela took over for him at third base, and had a career year in 2019. GM Brian Cashman has already said it's Urshela's job to lose, so finding a spot for Andujar is now one of the biggest storylines coming out of Yankees spring training. 

Reporters have already prodded manager Aaron Boone to give them an inside look at what the team plans to do with the soon-to-be 25-year-old, and playing the outfield has been the base of some of those questions. Andujar has been seen taking reps with the other outfielders, and Boone said he could see some game time right away as well. 

"Yeah," Boone said when asked if we could see Andujar in the outfield this weekend. "I think the good thing is, physically speaking, Miggy's feeling well and we feel like in a good place and ready to go and game ready. We'll get him out there in a lot of different situations and even positions. But, at the same time, being mindful of the demands that this creates and something new that we have to be mindful of."

Multiple Yankees have come forth to voice their opinions about the Astros sign-stealing scandal, and Aaron Judge joined them on Tuesday without holding anything back.

Simply put, he doesn't believe the Astros -- who defeated the Yankees in the ALCS during that 2017 season -- deserve to keep their World Series title they won shortly after that series.

"Yeah, I just don't think it holds any value," he said. "You cheated, you didn't earn it. That's how I feel: it wasn't earned." 

Brett Gardner joined the ranks of Yankees who have made comments on the Astros' sign-stealing scandal on Tuesday, but decided to keep some of his stronger thoughts to himself.

Gardner, a member of the Yankees team that fell in seven games to the Astros in the 2017 ALCS, feels Houston "cheated" and voiced some of his frustration at spring training down in Tampa, Fla.

"Yeah, without getting too far into it, it's frustrating to know, looking back, that maybe we weren't on an even playing field," Gardner said on the 2017 ALCS. 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed on Tuesday that All-Star OF Aaron Judge will be missing at least the team's first spring training game on Saturday. 

Boone described Judge as having "crankiness" and a "little soreness" in his right shoulder, which gives more context to George A. King III's report that stated he was dealing with a "minor" problem in that shoulder. 

"I don't anticipate it delaying the season, but he won't be playing on Feb. 22," Boone said. "But hopefully not much behind that."

The Yankees hit the field as a squad on Tuesday in Tampa, with Aaron Judge participating on a limited basis and Miguel Andujar leaving the infield dirt.

At this time last year, DJ LeMahieu was entering spring training as a very intriguing, super-utility option for the Yankees. GM Brian Cashman signed him to a two-year, $24 million deal, and many believed his high-contact bat and smooth glove anywhere in the field could be a catalyst of sorts for a lineup bursting with power bats. 

The preseason catalyst actually became the team MVP. 

LeMahieu was everything the Yankees hoped to see and much more after having a career year at the plate, and providing manager Aaron Boone with a consistent presence in a lineup wrecked by injuries. He earned his third All-Star nod after posting a .327/.375/.518 slash line with a career-high 26 homers and 102 RBI. That kind of leap in production also had a Silver Slugger Award come his way as well. 

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge will be held out of batting practice on Tuesday due to a "minor right shoulder problem," reports George A. King III of the New York Post.

According to King, manager Aaron Boone said a test on Judge's shoulder didn't reveal anything serious.

While Judge -- who arrived at camp on Monday -- is being held out of batting practice for precautionary reasons, he will be throwing.

MLB Network has released its Top 100 Right Now list, and of the eight Yankees who make an appearance, it's their newest, high-priced acquisition leading the way.

Gerrit Cole signed the richest contract of any starting pitcher in the history of baseball when he signed with the Yankeesin the offseason, and with good reason. He ranks No. 7 on MLB Network's list, the highest of any pitcher and one spot ahead of Mets' ace Jacob deGrom. Cole was the runner-up to then-Astros teammate Justin Verlander in AL Cy Young voting, despite leading the league with a 2.50 ERA and all of baseball with 326 strikeouts. 

Aaron Judge has missed 50-plus games in each of the last two seasons, but still earns the No. 16 spot on the list. Judge missed 60 games and had just 447 plate appearances in 2019, but still hit 27 homers and slashed .272/.381/.540. He'll enter his fourth full season in the big leagues hoping that it's more like his rookie year than the previous two. All Judge did in his first season was mash 52 homers, win AL Rookie of the Year and finish second in AL MVP voting.