Yankees Notebook: Luis Severino’s first bullpen session features new pitch

CLEVELAND — Luis Severino shared a surprising update Monday after throwing a bullpen at Progressive Field, his first since suffering a low-grade lat strain on his right side late in spring training.

Don’t worry Yankees fans; Severino felt fine after the 22-pitch session, which incorporated the right-hander’s entire arsenal. The surprise — even to Aaron Boone — was that that repertoire included a splitter that Severino has been working on.

Severino didn’t say much else about the new pitch, but that wasn’t his top priority on Monday.

“Location and stuff are not there, but I’m not worried about that,” he said of his overall bullpen. “Was more worried about my health.”

Severino said that he hasn’t felt any pain in his lat since about a week after sustaining the injury. Next steps will be based on how Severino feels Tuesday, but he hopes to throw another bullpen in two or three days.

“First thing was getting through today, and it sounds like that went pretty well,” Boone said. “So we’ll see. I don’t know exactly the plan.”

Added Severino: “The trainers are the bosses of that. They know more about this than me. So whatever they tell me to do, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Severino said that he would feel “blessed” if he only missed three or four starts when the injury was first revealed on March 25.

COOKIN’ CALHOUN

Willie Calhoun found his name in a Yankees’ lineup for the first time on Monday. He was added to the major league roster on April 8 after third baseman Josh Donaldson hit the injured list with a hamstring injury.

Calhoun, who impressed the Yankees as a non-roster invitee during spring training, had “DH” penciled next to his name Saturday, but he can play the corner outfield positions.

“Wherever they need me, honestly,” he recently said. “I’ll do whatever they need. They need me to cook, I’ll cook.”

CHEATER TWEETER

Yankees fans may find Evan Gattis’ recent tweets and replies interesting, as well as infuriating.

The former Astro, a 2017 World Series champion, spent parts of Sunday and Monday openly discussing Houston’s trash can cheating scandal. The Astros beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series in 2017 before defeating the Dodgers in the World Series.

“I remember knowing what was coming against [Dodgers ace Clayton] Kershaw. As a team we swung and missed a handful of times only against him,” Gattis said in one response.

“The craziest thing about the cheating year is facing a guy like Yu Darvish and getting shut out knowing what’s coming,” he wrote in another tweet.

Gattis, who homered off Yankees southpaw CC Sabathia in Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS, also said that he knew what was coming.

“Yes,” he wrote when one user asked him directly.