Yankees activate Luis Severino for first time in two years

Severino missed most of the 2019 season with various issues before having Tommy John surgery in February 2020 -- a procedure that also involved having a loose bone chip removed from his elbow. 

His long layoff was a blow to the Yankees' rotation, which was tested before the truncated 2020 campaign even began. The Bronx Bombers have been bit hard by the injury bug in recent years and set an MLB record in 2019 for the most players sent to the injured list in a single season.

Considering the amount of time Severino has missed, New York is planning on using him out of the bullpen. "His last live outing was two (innings) and 35 (pitches), so kind of view him as anything from an inning in some situations to possibly two- or three-innings scenarios that I think he’ll be able to handle," Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said via the New York Post.

Severino has spent his entire career with the Yankees organization, bouncing between the major-league club and minor-league affiliates. Through his injury-shortened 2019 campaign, he tallied a 1-1 record with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings.

The Yankees have recently lost two games in a row and currently sit one-and-a-half games out of a wild-card spot in the AL.