Severino said he has lost at least 10 pounds from his 2016 playing weight, and he has worked on mastering his changeup, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The organization reportedly told him to cut weight this offseason after he showed up last season looking a bit bulkier than desired. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said "you can see" that Severino's cutter has improved, and the right-hander also needs to keep his slider shape up to par and command his fastball effectively. Severino, who turns 23 on Feb. 20, is one of at least five Yankees competing this spring for the fourth and fifth rotation spots. If he can build on the improvements he made as a reliever last year, he can erase the memories of his 5.83 season ERA. He has the elite pedigree to break through after some tweaks, making him an ideal, cheap "last year's trash" buy in fantasy drafts.