RHP Corey Kluber threw 60 pitches over 3 2/3 innings for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, and it may not be long before he’s back in pinstripes for the stretch run.
But when should that be? In this writer’s opinion, Kluber has a perfect lane for a return: September 8 vs. Toronto, with two more rehab starts before his return.
Kluber, who has been on the IL since May 27 with a right shoulder strain, made his third rehab outing overall on Tuesday, and it may have been his best yet. He struggled early, allowing three straight singles and one run before recording an out, but finished by throwing 39 of his 60 pitches for strikes, with a final line of two runs on five hits, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out four.
"Obviously an improvement over the last time out when he was just getting his feet wet and back into the swing of things," Somerset pitching coach Daniel Moskos told mycentraljersey.com about the outing. “He had a couple of ground balls with eyes here and there. But I thought he executed really well. He was living in the zones where he needed to be in and I think he'll get sharper as he gets back into his routine and builds up his pitch count and builds up that rhythm.”
Kluber’s first outing at Somerset two weeks ago saw him throw 25 pitches in 1 1/3 innings and allow five runs on two hits, four walks, and two hit batter; he improved at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre on Aug. 17, getting up to 56 pitches in three-plus innings and allowing three runs on two hits and two walks, and then jumped up to 60 pitches in this outing.
That count, more than the results, may be the important part of Kluber’s buildup for some.
“He just need to get his pitch count up, his work load up so that he can be a rotation option for (the Yankees),” Moskos said.
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However, in three outings in minor-league settings, Kluber has allowed 10 earned runs in eight innings (a 12.25 ERA) with a 2.40 WHIP (seven walks, nine hits, three hit batters). He does have nine strikeouts, but it’s clear from the numbers neither his control nor command have been sharp, and with the Yankees rolling (33-11 in their last 44 games since falling to 41-41 on July 4) and in the midst of a lighter schedule (three days off between August 22 and September 2), there’s no need to rush back a guy who has already missed three months due to a shoulder injury (after missing all but one inning in 2020 with a similar malady).
The Yankees put Kluber on the 60-day injured list on June 5 so he is eligible to return at any time, but with rosters expanding on September 1 and the Yankees off on September 2 before beginning a stretch of 20 games in 20 days September 3, it makes sense to give Kluber two more outings to build up, and then bring him back in a stretch where the Yankees would ideally use a sixth starter.
The double benefit for the Yankees: they can go to a six-man rotation for at least part of that stretch of 20 games in 20 days, with Kluber going sixth against Toronto and then facing Baltimore and the same Rangers team he no-hit in May while avoiding an NL park – giving him three starts against teams he has faced in his first 10 outings.
At the end of the 20 in 20, the Yankees would have a day off and then go into Boston with Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, their top two starters, lined up to be able to face the Red Sox and then the Rays in the final series, with wiggle room if they’re unable to catch Tampa Bay by that point and need to line up Cole or Taillon for the AL Wild Card Game.
With Michael King also on the rehab road and Luis Gil still also available, the Yankees finally seem to have enough starting depth to be able to line up September how they want to, so there’s seemingly no need to rush Kluber back just because.
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Two more minor-league starts will give a good barometer of where he can be up to 80-85 pitches when he does come back, and with rosters expanding only from 26 to 28 in September (and thus, only one or two bullpen arms able to come up to pick up slack), performance is still paramount.
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