Sports

Athletics Make Luis Severino Move Before Yankees Game

The Athletics don't have any elite pitchers, but they do have an accomplished one in ace Luis Severino. The two-time All-Star is 75-61 with a 3.93 ERA over 213 career outings (197 starts) and has made 14 playoff appearances (13 starts).

The Athletics signed Severino to a three-year, $67 million contract in December 2024, the largest in team history. However, the native Dominican went just 8-11 with a 4.54 ERA over 29 starts last year.

Severino has slightly improved this year, as he's 2-6 with a 4.16 ERA over 12 starts. But the 32-year-old left Friday's 8-2 loss to the New York Yankeesafter just one inning due to right arm soreness, per MLB.com.

The Athletics then placed Severino on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain before Saturday's rematch with the Yankees and recalled right-handed pitcher Michael Kelly from Triple-A in a corresponding move, per the team.

Athletics Have Not Gotten Adequate Value From Luis Severino

 Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (40) © Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (40) © Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images © Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Severino's injury is the latest development in an unfortunate tenure with the Athletics thus far. The right-hander is 10-17 with a 4.43 ERA over 41 starts since signing that record-setting contract, which does not justify the club's investment.

On the other hand, Severino did take a step forward before the injury, so losing him isn't ideal for an Athletics pitching staff ranked 22nd in baseball with a 4.35 team ERA. It's the main reason why the team is 27-30, as it ranks 11th with a .715 OPS.

Meanwhile, Kelly has allowed three runs in 4.1 big-league innings this year and went 4-4 with a 3.18 ERA over 42 outings last year. The right-hander also went 3-2 with a 2.59 ERA over 28 games in 2024, which was his first year with the Athletics.

Although the squad is three games under .500, it is still just 1.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for first place in the American League West. It hasn't won the division since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, which was also the last time it made the playoffs.

After Saturday's matchup with the Yankees, the Athletics will host them again on Sunday before hitting the road to face the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. After that, they will return home to play the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels.

Right-handed pitcher J.T. Ginn will start for the Athletics against southpaw Ryan Weathers on Saturday, with the first pitch at 10:05 p.m. ET.

Related: Athletics' Luis Severino Shares Injury Update After Yankees Game

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 5:20 PM.

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