For his third rehab appearance, Michael Pineda will take to the mound tonight for the Tampa Yankees against the Brevard County Manatees with hopes of throwing around 80 pitches.
If all goes well for Pineda, he could be back with the big league team by the end of the month. The Yankees want to make sure he can throw 100 pitches or so in back-to-back starts before he’s deemed ready to move up. GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi have said that the use of Pineda will depend on how the current starters are pitching. If Phil Hughes continues to struggle, Pineda may very well slot into his spot in the rotation.
Pineda will likely make two or three more rehab starts before New York decides what to do with him.
Michael Pineda is scheduled to pitch for the Tampa Yankees tonight!
— Tampa Yankees (@TampaYankees) June 20, 2013
