TAMPA, Fla. – Just a few days ago, Luis Severino was joking around with the rest of the Yankees' pitching staff during fielding practice. When a ball went under Masahiro Tanaka's glove during a comebacker drill, Severino belted out "GOAL!" while beaming and jumping with his teammates.

Friday morning, while standing at his locker in the Yankees' clubhouse, Severino was dejected and soft-spoken. The right forearm soreness that forced him to shut down his Spring Training throwing program was feeling better, but he had no idea when he'll be able to take the mound again.

"I just want to play baseball. I just want to pitch," Severino explained. "I’ve been doing everything that they wanted me to do in the offseason to come here healthy. I was doing good, feeling health until yesterday.

Severino confirmed the story that skipper Aaron Boone told the media on Thursday afternoon. The right-hander was watching TV at home and all of a sudden felt discomfort in his right forearm – soreness that he's been experiencing on and off since last October.

READ: Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone address Luis Severino's injury

When asked if the irritation in his throwing arm resembles what Severino felt as he was preparing for a Game 7 start in the American League Championship Series, he despondently revealed, "it's around the same."

After an injury-plagued campaign in 2019, this certainly isn't the way Severino wanted to start out his 2020 season.

Severino had made two consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2017-2018, earning AL Cy Young Award votes for his performance in both years. Last season, however, Severino made just three starts because of an injury in his right shoulder. He spent virtually the entire season on the 60-day injured list, sidelined until his debut in mid-September.

"It’s definitely frustrating to hear this stuff happening again," Severino said about the prospect of missing time for a second season in a row. "We’re dealing with it, seeing what we can do to keep me healthy."

READ: Aaron Judge's right shoulder soreness keeps the slugger out of BP

The 26-year-old was perplexed by what he was feeling. Both Boone and general manager Brian Cashman were unsure about a diagnosis as well – Severino will visit with the Yankees' team doctor at some point on Friday afternoon – but the right-hander is confused about what he's dealing with and why it's happening.

"It is so weird, that’s why I don’t get it," he said. "If it was something major, when I throw my fastball and my slider I would feel it, but it’s only on one pitch."

He confirmed, as was revealed on Thursday, that the soreness only appears when he throws his changeup. Severino recalled working on his fastball and slider over the past few weeks and experiencing no such discomfort until adding his changeup back into the mix.

"My elbow, shoulder, and my whole arm feels pretty good," Severino explained, pinpointing the source of the discomfort in a "weird spot" that he's never felt pain before in his career. "Like I said, I've been throwing really hard, I feel like my fastball is running pretty good. So, I'm not worried about other spots than that one."

With less than five weeks to go before Opening Day – and the Yankees' first exhibition game of the spring scheduled for Saturday – Severino is cautiously optimistic that he can get back to throwing soon.

"I hope this is nothing I hope this goes away tomorrow so I can throw a bullpen, sim game and then start pitching here in spring training. I hope it’s nothing."

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