Luis Severino had hoped to face his former team when the Yankees and Mets face off at Citi Field next week, but the right-hander was removed and will instead play in Chicago against the Cubs on Sunday.
While Severino was disappointed, one of his longtime former teammates was not.
“I don’t want to play against him,” Aaron Judge said before hitting a two-run homer and scoring three runs in the Yankees’ win over the Braves on Saturday night in the Bronx. “I’ve seen him play live a couple of times. [batting practice] We had the lockout in 2020 and ’21 and I had the opportunity to play against him there. He’s a great player.”
Severino signed with the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic in 2011 and finished his final season in disastrous fashion, but his talents have been on display again this season with the Mets.
Severino had a 6.65 ERA with the Yankees last year but enters Sunday with a 3.52 ERA in his first season in Queens.
“I’m excited to watch him do well with the Mets,” Judge said. “I’m happy for him.”
Both players were promoted from the Yankees’ minor league teams.
“We’d been together a long time, all the way back in Low-A Charleston,” Judge said, “and he got to the big leagues a little earlier than I did.”
Severino played in back-to-back All-Star games with the Yankees in 2017 and 2018 before injuries hampered his career.
“He’s always been a great worker,” Judge said. “Even when he had injuries he never let up.”
Severino’s production with the Yankees dipped to its lowest point last season, and it was clear to both sides that the 30-year-old needed a fresh start.
There’s a chance the two could play in the All-Star Game next month.
“He’s gotten himself back in shape,” Judge said. “It would have been nice to have him in pinstripes for his return season, but he’s still in New York.”
When asked if he thought Severino needed a change of scenery to get this far, Judge said, “That’s a tough question. He was fully healthy and maybe he felt pressured to rush back last year and maybe that hurt him. And now he’s had a normal offseason and we’re seeing the results.”
