PORT ST. LUCIE — Despite having Tommy John surgery in his recent past and not possessing much experience out of the bullpen, the Yankees don’t have a fear of using Ivan Nova as a long reliever — if that’s the way it shakes out.
“If he doesn’t win a job out of the rotation, yeah,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said when asked about the right-hander landing in the pen.
Nova is one of six starters for five spots and made his second start of the exhibition season Wednesday against the Mets at Tradition Field, where the game ended in a 4-4 tie after 10 innings.
If the other five starters avoid injury and don’t pitch terribly before the end of spring training, then Nova, who can’t be sent to the minors and will be a free agent following the season, will occupy the long-reliever role.
However, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and CC Sabathia missed chunks of time last year with injuries. And Luis Severino, who pitched well last year, has made just 11 big league starts.
Perhaps later in the exhibition season, the Yankees will use Nova out of the pen to get him experience, but for now he will start.
“I think we would do that stuff in the event it looks like he won’t qualify [for the rotation], but right now that isn’t something that is talked about,’’ Cashman said. “Those are the type of things you do the last 10 days of camp.’’
Nova didn’t hurt his chances of being among the five starters by blanking the Mets for three innings.
“He was 91 to 93 [mph] with the fastball, down in the zone and got six ground-ball outs, which is very good,’’ a scout said. “The curveball needs some tightening, but he threw strikes and pitched to the big part of the ballpark.’’
In two spring outings, Nova has thrown five innings and allowed a run.
“The way I feel right now, it’s been a long time since I feel right now,’’ Nova said.
As for fighting for a rotation spot, Nova said it’s nothing new.
“I am always competing all the time. There has not been a year I had a sure spot,’’ said Nova, who is 46-33 with a 4.33 ERA in 124 big league games (113 starts) and was 6-11 with a 5.07 ERA in 17 starts last season after he returned in late June from Tommy John surgery.
When Eovaldi starts against the Blue Jays on Thursday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, every starter will have thrown at least once. True, that’s not enough information to form an opinion, but it’s all that is available at this juncture.
“I like what I have seen from our rotation,’’ Girardi said. “You look at our staff and it’s pretty young, too.’’
That was in reference to the Mets’ rotation being as good as it is young.
A year ago Nova said he was free of pain when he returned, but location was a big problem. That hasn’t been an issue in two spring-training starts.
“There was no pain, but I couldn’t throw strikes,’’ Nova said of last year’s experience. “I feel good enough to do a good job out there.’’
