CINCINNATI — Luis Severino’s return was worth the wait.
It took longer than initially expected when he strained his lat in the final week of spring training, and he is still not all the way built up after an abbreviated rehab assignment.
But working on a pitch count of 75, Severino got stronger as his season debut went on to help the Yankees claim a 4-1 win over the Reds on Sunday at Great American Ball Park.
The right-hander struck out five over 4 ²/₃ innings of one-run ball, retiring nine of the final 10 batters he faced in an encouraging outing overall.
“I feel pretty good,” Severino said. “Feel like I was attacking the zone after the first walk. But everything else was really good.”
Severino also built up his velocity as the game went on, averaging 96.7 mph with his fastball but topping out at 98.6 mph on a strikeout of Kevin Newman in the fifth inning.
His fastball generated eight of his 12 swings and misses on the day.
Severino admitted to taking a peek up at the scoreboard during that fifth inning to see his velocity and seemed to like what he saw.
“I was saving some bullets for the end there,” Severino said. “I knew my leash wasn’t going to be long. … I wanted to make sure I’m good.”
It will likely be at least two more starts until the Yankees are able to take the reins off Severino, the oft-injured 29-year-old who is pitching on the final year of his contract.
But when he is healthy and on his game, Severino has the stuff to be one of the better pitchers in the league, which he showed a glimpse of Sunday.
“First and foremost, it’s amazing to see him back on the mound,” Harrison Bader said. “Love the way he works, love his stuff, love his energy. … I got a really good view in center field. He’s electric. I couldn’t be more happy he’s back.”
On Sunday, Severino was filling the rotation spot of Domingo German, who would have been on turn to start but is serving his 10-game suspension from a failed foreign substance check on Tuesday in Toronto.
But his return should eventually allow the Yankees to keep Jhony Brito at Triple-A as their rotation inches closer to full strength.
“I thought [Severino] kept getting better,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He finished the day, probably in his mind, emptying the tank there a little bit. So he had a little extra juice even there at the end of his outing. But I thought overall, he was sharp.”