New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees' Luis Severino placed on COVID list, scratched from Thursday start vs. Rays

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 6/16/22

Not much has gone wrong for the New York Yankees this season. They have the possible frontrunner for AL MVP in Aaron Judge, boast an elite starting rotation headed by Gerrit Cole and are threatening to shatter regular-season records with their 46-16 start to the campaign.

Justs hours before the "Bronx Bombers" were slated to take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night, they received some bad news regarding standout starting pitcher Luis Severino.

Please note that RHP Clarke Schmidt will be starting tonight’s game vs. Tampa Bay.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 16, 2022

A two-time All-Star, Severino was scheduled to pitch on Thursday against Tampa Bay, as New York looks to extend their winning streak to seven games. "Sevy" has gone 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched across 11 starts this year.

Along with Cole, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and breakout star Nestor Cortes, Severino has formed arguably the best starting five in the league through the first half of the season. The group has combined to go 25-6, all five players have ERAs of 3.33 or better and WHIPs of 1.06 or lower.

2022 has been a renaissance spring thus far for Severino, as he had been limited to just seven starts since 2019. His next outing — if he can clear MLB's health and safety protocols — will be Tuesday against the Rays.

More must-reads: