Ivan Nova delivered his best start of the season Sunday and Michael Pineda is scheduled to make a rehab start for Double-A Trenton tonight, so the Yankees’ starting rotation soon could look significantly different.
However, general manager Brian Cashman said changes are not yet in the works — which is good news for Phil Hughes.
“Pineda is going [tonight], and then we’ll take it from there,” Cashman said yesterday. “This has nothing to do with Hughes.”
Pineda, the 24-year-old right-hander, had three outings with High-A Tampa, including one simulated game when the team had its All-Star break.
He is throwing his fastball as hard as the mid-90s, but his average velocity is not what it was before last year’s shoulder surgery.
“This is a positive step for him, but it doesn’t mean we know exactly when he’s going to pitch in the majors,” Cashman said. “There are still things he needs to do.”
Nova also has more to prove, though he was impressive in Sunday’s loss to the Rays, giving up three runs in 6 2/3 innings.
“That was just one start,” Cashman said of Nova, who went 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after being sent down in June. “It was a good one, but we’re going to need to see more before we make any decisions.”
Hughes has been inconsistent and had his next outing pushed back two days. He will start Thursday against the Rangers after Hiroki Kuroda goes tonight, followed by Andy Pettitte.
* One of the few recent bright spots at the plate has been the debut of Zoilo Almonte, who has impressed manager Joe Girardi with his plate discipline.
It took injuries and ineffectiveness from a long line of outfielders to get Almonte to the majors. He wasn’t exactly waiting for the call.
“There have been a lot of injured players up here all year,” Almonte said through a translator. “So I never really thought about it. I stick to my own business.”
Almonte has reached base nine times in his first 14 plate appearances, including two doubles and a homer.
“I can’t control what happens in the future,” he said of the eventual return of Curtis Granderson from a broken hand. “I would be happy here or in Triple-A.”