The forecast for spring training is ordinarily sunshine, blue skies, and optimism. For Yankees fans still scarred from last year’s injury woes, however, a few dark clouds have appeared on the horizon. As the calendar nears March, there’s understandable concern about the Yankees’ rotation. James Paxton is out until at least May, although his recovery from back surgery appears to be going well, and Luis Severino is currently in New York undergoing tests for forearm tightness of indeterminate origin.
If Severino’s debut is delayed, the Yankees could begin the season without two of their five projected starters.