Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Luis Severino's arm injury is worse than initially feared, with the New York Yankees pitcher set to have Tommy John surgery.

Severino released a statement on his decision, per James Wagner of the New York Times:

The Yankees announced Severino is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday with Dr. David Altchek.

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, a friend of Severino's described the Yankees star as "pretty distraught" over the medical recommendation.

Severino was shut down last week after being scratched from his bullpen session due to forearm discomfort. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters at the time of the decision the 26-year-old had a loose body in his pitching elbow.

The surgery will keep Severino out for the entire 2020 season. He was limited to just 20.1 innings last year between the regular season and playoffs due to shoulder and lat injuries.

The Yankees' starting rotation was already limited to start the spring with James Paxton out until at least May after undergoing spinal surgery. Domingo German will miss the first 63 games of the season as he finishes serving an 81-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.

Gerrit Cole, who signed a nine-year, $324 million contract in the offseason, will be the anchor of New York's pitching staff. Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ will likely round out the top three for Boone to open the season.

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New York signed Severino to a four-year, $40 million contract in February 2019. He was coming off consecutive All-Star appearances in 2017 and 2018 with a 3.18 ERA and 450 strikeouts over 384.2 innings during those two seasons.