When Gio Urshela limped onto the Injured List last August, it marked the 36th such trip for the Yankees, smashing the all-time record, with over a month to go in the 2019 season. They would finish with 39 stints on the IL by 30 players.
Yet while they made history with their piles of mangled limbs, the Yanks made a mockery of the notion that enough injuries will derail any team. They still steamrolled to 103 wins, moonwalked to the AL East title, and then lost to the shady Houston Astros in the ALCS for the second time in three years.
It speaks to the Yankees' depth, length and some luck that they were so hobbled yet so sublime over their turbulent summer. But they were also aided by the fact that their pitching was largely unbitten by the injury bug that ravaged their lineup. The Yankees' rotation featured three pitchers who started at least 29 games, four who started at least 24, and all five starters taking the mound at least 22 times.
But now they've learned that their former ace, Luis Severino, who was expected to be the No. 2 starter in a revamped rotation, is having Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL. He will not pitch in 2020. And now the Yankees will try to survive a plague of pitching injuries that they somehow avoided last year.
It's not easy to fill holes on the diamond or in the lineup, but it's surely easier to find a third baseman or first baseman or left fielder than it is to find a frontline starting pitcher. And the Yankees find themselves down a few hurlers well before the season begins.
The Yankees lost CC Sabathia, who retired. They lost Domingo German, who was suspended for domestic violence and, between pressure and karma, may never pitch right in pinstripes again. Then they lost James Paxton to back surgery. Both Paxton and German expect to return by June, but it still leaves three of their five-best starters on the shelf on Opening Day.
Now the Yanks must sip from a soup of Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, Jordan Montgomery, Deivi Garcia, and Mike King - hardly the 1971 Orioles. In a six-month season, they have to make a patchwork rotation work for the first two months and then hope there are no more torn tendons or ligaments along the way.
The good news is the Yankees are at least the best team in their division and league, if not the entire game. And their two AL tormentors are in big trouble. The Astros have to deal with the fact that the Yanks bought their best pitcher, Gerrtt Cole, and then try not to crumble under the ugly karma or heavy conscience that comes with their front-page, sign-stealing scandal that forced them to fire their manager and general manager.
The Yankees' eternal tormentors, the Boston Red Sox, are also embroiled in a sign-stealing spin cycle that cost them their manager. Also, Boston just booted their best player, Mookie Betts, in order to get some salary relief.
Not to mention the Yankees won 103 games last year without Severino, and having Cole as their ace doubles as deodorant for a leaky rotation. We already knew the Bronx Bombers, who blistered the baseball last year with 306 homers, have the best and deepest batting order in the sport. And before the starting staff was nicked with injuries, it was the top-rated rotation in MLB, according to FanGraphs.
So Yankees fans should toe the line between indigestion and anxiety, with no need to jam the panic button. Maybe the aforementioned substitute or spot starters aren't exactly Cone, Clemens, and Wells. But they still have more depth than any other club at almost any position. The Yankees have the talent, temerity, and teamwork to make this team work in almost any form. They will need a full and healthy rotation at some point this season, especially as baseballs have suddenly shot out of ballparks like Roman candles.
Sadly, Luis Severino, who will have pitched three games in two years when he returns from Tommy John in 2021, may find he can't stay healthy enough to lead this, or any, rotation ever again. And surely the Yankees will miss his blessed right arm in their rotation. But they already proved they don't need it to have a blessed season.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @JasonKeidel
