Washington Nationals Severino began playing baseball in the Dominican Republic as a
pitcher,
outfielder, and
third baseman. In 2009, at the age of 15, his team needed a
catcher, so a
coach asked Severino to fill in. The coach noticed Severino's potential at catcher when he threw out a baserunner attempting to steal second base, and asked him to keep catching. He considered quitting, but his father encouraged him to try catching. In 2010, the Nationals signed Severino for a $55,000
signing bonus as a catcher. He debuted in 2011 for the
Gulf Coast Nationals of the
Rookie-level Gulf Coast League (GCL), where he struggled to gain the trust of his pitchers due to his youth and inability to understand English. He began to learn English, and worked on his catching development. Severino played for the
Hagerstown Suns of the
Class A South Atlantic League (SAL) in 2013, where he was the team's youngest player. He batted .241, but threw out 40% of basestealers, and was named a SAL all-star. In 2014, Severino played for the
Potomac Nationals of the
Class A-Advanced Carolina League, where the average player was three years older than him. In 2015, Severino played for the
Harrisburg Senators of the
Class AA Eastern League. The Nationals promoted him to the major leagues on September 1, 2015. He made his major league debut on September 20, hitting a double against the outfield wall off
Miami Marlins reliever
Jose Urena in his first plate appearance and coming around to score. Severino began the
2016 season as the primary catcher for the
Syracuse Chiefs in the Class AAA
International League. He was called up to the majors in April 2016 for a brief stint after
Wilson Ramos was placed on the bereavement list and again in July after
Jose Lobaton was sent to the disabled list with an injury. He hit his first major league home run while pinch-hitting at
Coors Field on August 17 against
Colorado Rockies reliever
Matt Carasiti. He finished his rookie season with a .321/.441/.607 batting line across 16 major league games. In 2017 for the Nationals, Severino appeared in 17 games, but struggled to a batting line of 172/.226/.207. He fared better with the Low-A
Auburn Doubledays and Triple-A Syracuse, batting a combined .248/.297/.342 with five home runs and 29
runs batted in (RBIs) between the two teams. In 2018, Severino played in 70 games for Washington, slashing .269/.294/.462 with career-highs in home runs (2) and RBIs (15). Severino was designated for assignment by Washington on March 21, 2019.
Baltimore Orioles Severino was claimed off waivers by the
Baltimore Orioles on March 23, 2019. He became the team's starting catcher when
Jesús Sucre was
designated for assignment on April 28, 2019. He set a career high with three home runs in a game in a 12–11 win over the
Texas Rangers at
Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 4, 2019. He had the slowest home run trot of all major league players, at 28 seconds. Severino caught
John Means'
no-hitter against the
Seattle Mariners on May 5, 2021. The only baserunner was on a dropped third strike by Pedro, the first time a perfect game has been lost in such a way. Severino played in 113 games for the Orioles in 2021, hitting .248 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs. On November 3, 2021, the Orioles outrighted Severino to the Triple-A
Norfolk Tides. However, he rejected this, making him a free agent.
Milwaukee Brewers On November 21, 2021, the
Milwaukee Brewers signed Severino to a one-year contract for $1.9 million. On April 4, 2022, Severino was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for
Clomiphene, which was a violation of MLB's
performance-enhancing drugs policy. He returned to the Brewers on July 3. Severino batted 4-for-18 (.222) in eight games before he was designated for assignment by the Brewers on August 3. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds on August 5. Severino elected free agency following the season on October 6.
San Diego Padres On December 15, 2022, Severino signed a minor league deal with the
San Diego Padres organization. He began the 2023 season with the Triple-A
El Paso Chihuahuas, where he played in 18 games and hit .286/.400/.476 with 3 home runs, 8 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. On May 17, 2023, Severino requested and was granted his release by the Padres.
Seattle Mariners On May 23, 2023, Severino signed a minor league contract with the
Seattle Mariners. In 46 games for the Triple–A
Tacoma Rainiers, he batted .230/.287/.399 with seven home runs and 28 RBI. Severino elected free agency following the season on November 6.
Sultanes de Monterrey On February 17, 2025, Severino signed with the
Sultanes de Monterrey of the
Mexican League. He spent the entire season on the reserve list and did not appear in a game for Monterrey. ==References==