ARLINGTON – Phil Hughes, rehabbing from a fractured rib, could be two minor-league starts away from providing help to the Yankee rotation.
Hughes starts tonight for Triple-A Scranton, and is expected to throw in the area of 60 pitches. His next outing would be an 80-pitch effort. After that it would go to 95.
Considering Joba Chamberlain went on the DL yesterday and Ian Kennedy and Dan Giese are starting this week against the Angels in Anaheim, could Hughes make that 95-pitch start in the big leagues?
“It’s possible,” manager Joe Girardi said.
Hughes went 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in six starts before going on the DL in late April. In two games for Charleston (Single-A), Hughes went 2-0 and threw 62/3 innings.
Carl “American Idle” Pavano also is a candidate to pitch in the big leagues, albeit a longer shot.
Pavano is coming back from Tommy John surgery last year. He has pitched in two games for Charleston.
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Girardi initially planned to rest Melky Cabrera for two games and re-insert him into center field last night. However, when Girardi decided to use Alex Rodriguez as the DH, that meant Johnny Damon had to move from DH to center field and the slumping Cabrera was on the bench for a third straight game.
Cabrera, who is batting .242 and hitless in 13 at-bats, entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth in center field and Damon moved to left. Damon went 2-for-5, scored a run and drove one in the 5-3 win.
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Hideki Matsui took batting practice on the field in Tampa yesterday. He will start a running program today to test his balky left knee. … Catcher Chad Moeller cleared waivers and joined Scranton.