Severino addressed the media ahead of the crucial game, sharing his thoughts on his preparation. Contrary to expectations of a serious and intense regimen, Severino offered a lighthearted admission: “Gonna go through some videos, go to my house, play a little video games, and that’ll be it. Worry about tomorrow.”

The candid response drew laughter from those at the press conference, with Severino even revealing that Call of Duty would be his game of choice as he unwinds before facing the Dodgers.

Severino’s postseason performance

Severino last pitched for the Mets in the previous round against the Philadelphia Phillies, where his performance proved crucial to advancing to the NLCS. Even that, in the next games he went to the bench.

Across two outings against the Phillies, Severino posted a 4.50 ERA, with 12 innings pitched, 10 strikeouts, and only 2 walks. While he allowed 14 hits and 7 runs, his efforts were key in helping the Mets reach this stage.

The Mets are within striking distance of their first MLB World Series appearance in nine years. While the Dodgers come into the series as the favorites, the Mets have shown resilience throughout their campaign, aiming to bring a championship to their fans after a 38-year drought.

And, considering that they’re likely to lose at least one pitcher as Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ are all poised to become free agents, that situation could only become even worse.

That’s why it’ll be so important for them to have Luis Severino back on the mound as soon as the next season starts but, according to General Manager Brian Cashman, that’s simply not going to be possible.

Brian Cashman Says Luis Severino Could Be Back By June

“Normally those (recoveries) are longer than 12 months. I don’t know what the proper date would be. But is it June? I think throwing months out like probably June is a safe way to go. Maybe it’s July. If it’s sooner, so be it,” Cashman told the media via Zoom.

“His Tommy John rehab is going well. I think he’s three weeks into his -I think it’s 90 feet – (throwing from) flat ground right now. It’s going as well as can be expected at this early juncture, but obviously, he’s got a lot of road to clear. And then there will be a shutdown period while he recovers again in this process,” Cashman continued.

“So all those things are to be determined. But normally it seems like Tommy John nowadays are anywhere from 14-to-15 months, so I got to give myself and, therefore, our fans a little bit of safety rails in terms of when would be the appropriate time to expect him to be reintroduced to the major league club,” The GM concluded.

Brian Cashman Admits That The Yankees Must Improve Their Rotation

Cashman also acknowledged that the New York Yankees must spend some big bucks to fix their pitching woes once and for all, as their rotation could consist of Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Deivi García, and Clarke Schmidt.

There is some uncertainty regarding Domingo Germán after missing the entire season with a suspension as the team still hasn’t been able to reach out to him due to Covid-19 related protocols, and now Severino is also expected to miss some time.

The Yankees could try and make a run at Trevor Bauer, Taljwuan Walker, Marcus Stroman, Kevin Gausman, or even Jake Odorizzi. Otherwise, they’re likely to go through the same struggles over and over.