The Yankees bullpen hasn’t been as dominant as many predicted before the season, but it could be getting an important arm back relatively soon.
Dellin Betances, who has been sidelined with a right shoulder impingement all season, is expected to begin a throwing program this week, Aaron Boone said after the Yankees beat the Twins, 4-1, in a rain-shortened game on Sunday in The Bronx.
Betances was waiting for the go-ahead from the medical staff, with a potential return next month, general manager Brian Cashman said Sunday on SiriusXM’s MLB Network radio.
Cashman said the right-hander could be back “sometime in June,” which would deepen a relief corps that also has been without Chad Green, who was sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after a horrid start.
Green has shown significant improvement after altering his mechanics in the minors and could return in a multi-inning role out of the pen shortly.
The Yankees have gotten a lift from Tommy Kahnle, who struck out the only batter he faced Sunday. Kahnle has retired 28 of the last 30 batters he’s faced, only allowing two walks in that 11-appearance span.
“He’s been a real weapon for us,’’ Boone said of Kahnle, who joined the Angels Ernesto Frieri and Boston’s Koji Uehara as the only pitchers in MLB history to record at least one strikeout and not allow a hit or a run in 11 straight relief outings.
Clint Frazier (ankle) will be activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday, according to Boone, despite his rehab game with Double-A Trenton being rained out Sunday.
To open a spot on the roster, the Yankees optioned Stephen Tarpley to SWB.
Elsewhere in the outfield, Giancarlo Stanton has been taking swings in the cage and if he doesn’t have any issues, he will see live pitching “probably [Monday] or early this week,’’ according to Boone.
Stanton will then progress to taking batting practice, at which point the Yankees will start to figure out when he’ll begin a rehab assignment. Boone added Stanton’s biceps, which originally sent him to the injured list, is now a “non-issue,” but he was slowed by the cortisone shot he received in his shoulder.
Didi Gregorius will need to go through “essentially a spring training” before he gets back from Tommy John surgery, according to Boone.
Cashman said on SiriusXM radio the shortstop could complete his throwing program this week, with a May 20 target date for him to start serving as a DH in extended spring training games.
Those would not impact a potential rehab assignment, since he’d have just 20 days to return to the majors once the clock starts on a rehab assignment.
The rotation won’t be complete for some time, as Cashman reiterated that Luis Severino will be out with a lat injury until July, telling SiriusXM, “We won’t see him until after the All-Star break, in our minds.”
James Paxton said he hopes to miss “a couple of starts” at most with left knee inflammation. He is expected to be replaced in the rotation by Jonathan Loaisiga, who was in line to start for SWB on Sunday.
