Michael Pineda said he’s ready to start for the Yankees in Baltimore on Wednesday.
The Yankees remain unsure.
“We haven’t made a decision,” manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees lost to the Indians, 3-0, on Saturday in The Bronx. “A lot depends on what happens the next few days.”
Pineda came through his most recent rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with no problems. He threw 72 pitches on Friday, but Girardi said the right-hander still hasn’t gone as long in a game as he would like.
“Ideally you’d like to get him to 90 pitches,” Girardi said. “We’ll talk to the people who saw him and decide what’s next. You have to make sure the player is ready.”
Pineda insisted he was ready while sitting at his locker Saturday morning.
“I feel great,” Pineda said. “Everything is normal, good.”
Esmil Rogers became the 12th starting pitcher the Yankees have used this season when he gave up one run in five innings in the win over Cleveland on Friday.
Rogers’ success could play a role in the team’s thinking, but not as much as if the Yankees need the former Blue Jay out of the bullpen at some point.
“We’re kind of in that state where we’ve got to see what we need out of the bullpen,” Girardi said, pointing out the Yankees’ upcoming schedule of 26 games in 27 days.
“Some of it depends on what we might need in the next few days. Obviously, his throw day is [Sunday], but I would not pitch him in a game. I think it could be realistic that the earliest we could use him in a game would be Tuesday.”
Pineda hasn’t appeared in the majors since being hit hard in Boston on April 23, when he was found with pine tar on his neck. He was suspended for 10 games and then suffered the muscle injury as he prepared to return.
When asked if he wanted his next start to be in the big leagues, Pineda laughed.
“Of course,” Pineda said. “That’s what I’m working for, coming back. Everything’s good. All my pitches are good.”
“The bullpen has been used a lot,” Girardi said. “Sometimes plans change.”