LOS ANGELES — On Saturday, it was the Dodger Stadium mound 4 and a half hours earlier than first pitch.
By Tuesday, it might be the Yankee Stadium mound within the late innings.
Fernando Cruz accomplished what is anticipated to be his final step earlier than being activated off the injured checklist, dealing with hitters Saturday morning at Dodger Stadium as he comes again from shoulder irritation.
The reliever threw about 17 pitches to Pablo Reyes and J.C. Escarra, and if he recovers effectively within the coming days, he must be activated off the IL when he’s first eligible on Tuesday.
“Every part feels actually good, easy,” Cruz stated earlier than the Yankees’ 18-12 blowout loss to the Dodgers. “I wasn’t even making an attempt to throw laborious and it feels wonderful. … Really feel actually good. Threw all my pitches for strikes. Velocity was there. … Really feel actually wholesome.”
Getting Cruz again will probably be an enormous enhance for the Yankees bullpen after he had pitched to a 2.66 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 23 ¹/₃ innings earlier than being sidelined.
“I believe it was value it [going on the IL],” Cruz stated. “The ache I used to be going by means of wanted to be fastened. This time made me even higher, I believe, from a working standpoint.”
On a weekend when he acquired his World Sequence ring from the Dodgers, Ryan Yarbrough is ready to face them in Sunday’s collection finale.
The veteran lefty swingman, who has been a boon for the Yankees to this point this season, made 32 reduction appearances for the Dodgers final yr earlier than they traded him to the Blue Jays on the deadline.
The Yankees may have skipped Yarbrough on Sunday and thrown Carlos Rodón on regular relaxation, particularly with an off day Monday.
As a substitute, they may maintain Yarbrough on flip and provides Rodón the additional relaxation earlier than dealing with the Guardians on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, coming off his seven-inning, 105-pitch gem in opposition to the Angels.
“Simply felt prefer it was most likely finest and that places [Rodón] in line to go Tuesday-Sunday now, which might be a five-day on the following one,” supervisor Aaron Boone stated. “And clearly, Yarbs is throwing the ball rather well.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (indirect pressure) performed in his second rehab recreation Saturday with Double-A Somerset, going 1-for-3 with a steal and spending six innings at third base.
He may DH on Sunday earlier than doubtless being activated Tuesday.
After crushing two dwelling runs on Friday evening, Shohei Ohtani took the mound Saturday afternoon for the equal of two innings, dealing with hitters for the second time since present process UCL surgical procedure.
The Dodgers have stated the two-way famous person may return to pitching in video games sooner or later after the All-Star break.
A handful of Yankees got here out to look at Ohtani throw, together with Oswald Peraza, who had his cellphone out to doc it.
