Don’t expect to see Carlos Beltran in right field when the Yankees open their three-game series against the Mariners at the Stadium.
Asked if the switch-hittier would be activated Friday night, general manager Brian Cashman said that wasn’t the case.
Beltran played in minor league rehab games for Single-A Tampa on Wednesday night and Thursday night. He was the designated hitter on Wednesday, and went 2-for-2, walked once, drove in a run and scored twice. On Thursday, he played right field and went 1-for-3.
In the second season of a three-year contract worth $45 million, Beltran had shaken off a slow start and was batting .260 when he went on the DL on July 3 with a left oblique muscle problem.
Last weekend in Boston, Beltran said the plan was for him to play in some minor league games and be activated Friday night, but that won’t happen.
Masahiro Tanaka will start Friday night following solid outings in each of his previous two starts.
Tanaka was 1-0 with a 2.64 ERA in those two games and looked like the ace he used to be before injuries.
In 13²/₃ innings, Tanaka allowed five hits, four earned runs, walked two and fanned 11.
Cashman said he expects Slade Heathcott back at some point this year, but isn’t as sure concerning fellow outfielder Mason Williams.
“I can’t say,’’ Cashman said when asked if the center fielder will make it back from the DL this season. “He had surgery on the same shoulder. If the rehab doesn’t go well he might need surgery.’’
After re-establishing himself as a bona fide major league prospect Williams appeared in eight big league games before suffering a right shoulder injury diving back into first base on June 19.
Heathcott has been on the DL since May 30 with a strained right quadriceps.
George Steinbrenner’s grandson, Robert Molloy, will be part of a program Friday on the grounds of the former Yankee Stadium.
Molloy is involved as part of a feature film about Lou Gehrig’s life based on the book, “Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig.”
“As a kid, I used to stare in awe at Lou Gehrig’s photos in Yankee Stadium,” Molloy said in a release. “Today, I am honored at the chance to contribute to the telling of Gehrig’s story.’’