Yankees brush off Luis Severino’s ‘2 good hitters’ jab before Subway Series: ‘It’s just noise’

NEW YORK — For the second time this season, Luis Severino won’t pitch when his current employer faces his former employer this week.

The ex-Yankee and present Met didn’t start when the two teams played a pair of games at Citi Field last month after the Amazins’ shuffled their rotation. The switch sparked a few playful texts from the Yankees.

“Are you afraid of us?” they asked Severino, who remains close with several pinstripers after pitching for the Yankees organization from ages 18-29.

At the time, Severino said that he hoped to pitch against his old team at Yankee Stadium this week, as their Bombers will host their half of the Subway Series in the Bronx on Tuesday and Wednesday. But Severino will not get his wish, as former Yankees bench coach and current Mets manager Carlos Mendoza tabbed two lefties, Jose Quintana and Sean Manaea, for the crosstown rivalry.

The Yankees have struggled against southpaws this season, so the decision makes sense. But Severino wanted to make it clear that fear wasn’t a factor.

“We have a group chat,” Severino told reporters Friday. “They talked shit about me when [I didn’t face] the Yankees. ‘Oh, you’re afraid of us.’ I say, ‘I’m not afraid of you.’ You guys, right now, only have two good hitters.

“I can walk those two guys. It’s always a friendly competition against players I’ve already played with. It’s going to be fun, but hopefully, in the future, I can face them.”

Severino was referring to Juan Soto and Aaron Judge as the Yankees’ only good hitters. While he was clearly messing around, all good jokes contain some truth.

Judge and Soto are both enjoying MVP caliber seasons, combining for 60 home runs and 160 RBI. Each has a batting average of at least .310 and an OPS of 1.029. One of the two leads the Yankees in each of those categories, as well as in hits, doubles, walks, OBP, slugging and wRC+.

There have been games and stretches where the two superstars have been the Yankees’ only reliable source of offense, but that wasn’t the case in Monday’s 9-1 win over the Rays. While Soto hit two homers and Judge had two hits, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and DJ LeMahieu also went yard. Wells had three hits, while Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera added two. Cabrera also had two RBI.

“We need all those guys,” Soto said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to take more than two guys to go to the World Series and win it.”

With the Yankees’ lineup fresh off a strong all-around performance, a few players were asked about Severino’s recent comments.

“It is what it is,” said Soto, who has never played with Severino. “[He] can think whatever they want. At the end of the day, we trust and believe in every single guy in here and I think we have everything that we need to show them that we can do it.

“I mean, we did it in the first half. We dominated most of the first half, so I don’t think this is only about one or two players. It takes every single guy in the lineup and our relievers in the bullpen and everything. So I think it’s not only a two-player team. I think it’s a really good team right now.”

Wells, who caught Severino twice last season, also downplayed the pitcher’s remark.

“It’s just noise,” he said, “and you just try to block that out.”

Wells added that these upcoming games against the Mets are “just another series” for the Yankees. In doing so, he echoed a sentiment shared by his manager on Monday.

“It’s not overly personal for me,” Aaron Boone said when asked about losing two games to the Mets in June and Severino’s jab. Boone noted that the Yankees are simply looking for wins as they try to put a prolonged skid behind them.

However, Boone had a more direct response when first told of Severino’s quip on Friday.

“We’ll see where the dust settles when we’re all said and done,” Boone said. “Add it all up, and we’ve taken our lumps at times. But I think we’re at the top of the league probably in runs scored. I saw the way Sevy said it. It was like kind of whatever. Hopefully we can answer him.”

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