DUNEDIN, Fla. — Luis Severino will miss the season with an elbow injury that requires Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees’ rotation no longer looks all that imposing.

New York announced Tuesday that the 26-year-old right-hander has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, a development that means the two-time All-Star will miss all of 2020 after being sidelined for nearly all of 2019.

Left-hander James Paxton already was projected to miss the first two months of the season following back surgery on Feb. 5. Domingo German must serve the final 63 games of an 81-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. He is eligible to return June 5, barring any postponements.

Severino’s injury leaves the AL East favorites with a rotation of newly signed ace Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and two openings. The usual recovery time for Tommy John surgery is a year or more.

“I don’t want to sugarcoat the fact that being without Sevy, that’s a blow, but it doesn’t change our expectations and what we’re truly capable of,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “So, no, nothing changes.”

Lefty Jordan Montgomery, who came back in September from Tommy John surgery, has been throwing at up to 94 mph and is the leading candidate for one slot. Jonathan Loaisiga and rookies Deivi Garcia and Michael King are possibilities along with Luis Cessa.

“We’re always constantly looking for upgrades anyway,” GM Brian Cashman said. “But this time of year you always look from within and see and give opportunities for what you have and typically that’s how it shakes out, especially until after the June draft regardless, so you keep relying on depth. So wouldn’t say expect any domino effect or cause and effect in terms of us being able to go to marketplace where a marketplace this time of year typically doesn’t exist.”

New York won the AL East with a 103-59 record last year, its best in a decade, and lost to Houston in the AL Championship Series.

Severino went 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 2018 and was given a $40 million, four-year contract. He was scratched from his first scheduled spring training appearance on March 5 because of rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder. The Yankees said April 9 he had strained his latissimus dorsi muscle. He did not make a minor league injury rehabilitation appearance until Sept. 1 and did not make his first appearance for the Yankees until Sept. 17.

• Right fielder Aaron Judge could be ready to play in his first spring training game next week after being limited by right shoulder soreness. “I would say no playing for sure this week,” Boone said. Judge has increased his throwing to 120 feet and is hitting off a tee and taking soft toss in an indoor cage. Judge first experienced the shoulder soreness during early workouts at the Yankees minor complex and was shut down from hitting a week spring training started.

RED SOX: The Boston Globe reported that 20-year-old right-hander Chih-Jung Liu arrived at Red Sox spring training last week in Fort Myers, Florida, and was placed into quarantine in a hotel room to “guard” against the coronavirus after coming over from Taiwan.

Liu wrote on his Facebook page that he is being delivered three meals a day, doing some weight training, and going for an occasional run. He is otherwise spending his time online “watching information about the team” and reading. Liu said he feels fine and is scheduled to join the team Saturday.

A Red Sox spokesperson said the team was exercising “an overabundance of caution” with Liu because of concern about the virus. Liu flew directly from Taipei to San Francisco and then on to Fort Myers.

The Boston Globe reported that earlier this month, the Red Sox briefly quarantined infielder Tzu-Wei Lin, who also calls Taiwan home. “I had been here for a week and they said I needed to go back to my apartment,” Lin said. “I was fine. I stayed away for one day and that was it.”
•  Alex Verdugo (back stress fracture), whom the Red Sox acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade, still hasn’t taken any swings.

“But he’s done everything else,” Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke said. “And that’s coming along well.”

Verdugo is doubtful for Opening Day on March 26 in Toronto. But he might be able to appear in spring training games eventually.

“I would say that (when) we start getting into the middle of March and on that he’s got a chance to play some games,” Roenicke said. “I think he does, yeah, depending on how fast he comes along with his swinging. But he’s doing really well. We just haven’t asked him to swing a bat yet.”

• Catcher Connor Sun-Han Wong hit a grand slam in the fifth inning and Jackie Bradley Jr. had a two-run shot in the fourth inning as Boston beat Baltimore 12-4 at Fort Myers, Florida.

Brian Johnson pitched a scoreless fourth inning and got the win.

ASTROS: Ace Justin Verlander is slated to make his 2020 spring training debut on Thursday, when former teammate Max Schezer is scheduled to be on the mound for World Series champion Washington.

The pair were teammates on the Detroit Tigers from 2010-14 and have combined for five Cy Young Awards.

Verlander won his second Cy Young last season, going 21-6 with a 2.52 ERA. His 225 wins are the most among active players. Zack Greinke, second among active pitchers with 205 wins, is to make his first spring training appearances the following day.

Scherzer, a the three-time Cy Young winner, won the World Series opener last October and did not get a decision in Game 7. Verlander lost Games 2 and 6.
Scherzer opened spring training with two scoreless innings against Houston on Saturday.

BRAVES: First baseman Freddie Freeman wasn’t in the starting lineup Tuesday because of irritation in his right elbow.

Manager Brian Snitker said he is not sure how long Freeman will be out.

Freeman had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Oct. 18. The entire right elbow joint was cleaned during the procedure, which included removing three fragmented loose bodies and cleaning up multiple bone spur formations.

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