Yankees respond to Luis Severino dissing their ‘only 2 good players’ offense

Luis Severino of the Mets engaged in some light-hearted banter on Friday, exchanging playful insults with his former Yankees teammates. Accused of avoiding the Yankees in recent matchups, Severino responded in a group chat, dismissing claims of fear and suggesting the Yankees only had two standout hitters at the moment.

In the subsequent game, Anthony Volpe’s crucial three-run double highlighted the Yankees’ return from the All-Star break with a 6-1 victory over the Rays. Despite Severino’s comments, the two players he singled out, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, contributed significantly, combining for six hits out of the team’s nine.

Severino’s remarks seemed to hit home as Judge and Soto are indeed leading the Yankees’ offensive statistics across various categories, including home runs, RBIs, batting average, runs scored, walks, OPS, on-base percentage, and slugging.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, when asked about Severino’s remarks after the game, downplayed the exchange, emphasizing the potential of the Yankees’ lineup overall. He expressed optimism about the contributions of players like DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres in the second half of the season, while acknowledging the team’s top ranking in runs scored and other offensive metrics.

While Judge and Soto have been pivotal to the Yankees’ offensive success, Boone highlighted contributions from other players such as Austin Wells, who defended the team’s depth and capability beyond its star hitters.

Overall, despite the light-hearted exchange, both sides acknowledged the strengths and challenges within the Yankees’ current lineup as they navigate through the season.