UPDATE: We were originally told Pineda was going to start his rehab assignment Monday, but plans have changed. He will throw an extended spring trading game Tuesday, then head out on his rehab assignment later in the week.
There was rumor floating around the last few days that a big leaguer was going to be making an appearance this week in Charleston. But we got the inside scoop. Courtesy of our own minor league insider Dan Pfeiffer, Michael Pineda is that player. Pineda is going to start his official rehab assignment with the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate the Charleston Riverdogs. Pineda will be make his appearance with the Riverdogs on Monday. Pineda, who is coming off a shoulder strain is slated to pitch two innings or 35 pitches, whichever comes first.
This is huge news for the Yankees, who originally thought Pineda might not be back till sometime in mid June. He thew a simulated game yesterday in Tampa, and he looked pretty good. Yankee brass apparently decided he was ready to start his official rehab assignment this coming week. If all goes well in Charleston, the next step would be to have Pineda pitch in Trenton with the Thunder on Saturday during their DH game. There is still no exact date regarding his return, Pineda will probably have to log a certain amount of innings before the Yankees activate him, but it sounds like he is getting close.
Getting Pineda back will be a huge boost to the rotation, which honestly hasn’t been doing too bad thanks to the likes of David Phelps, Chase Whitley and Vidal Nuno fillng in. If Pineda comes back to form like he was early on this season, the Yankees will be thrilled. We’ll keep you posted on any news regarding Pineda’s rehab process.
