Corey Kluber allowed his first runs of spring training on Saturday, but most importantly for the former Cy Young Award winner, he is feeling good after his second outing as a Yankee.
As the Yankees navigate the rest of spring training, keeping Kluber healthy after two straight injury-riddled seasons means much more than the results, but so far, the righty is enjoying both health and promising outcomes on the mound.
“Knock on wood, everything’s been good so far,” Kluber said after throwing 54 pitches over four innings. “I think that coming into this spring, just because of the way of the timing of my throwing rehab, I was just a little farther ahead of where I normally am coming into spring. My guess is maybe because of that, I’ve bounced back better than I typically do in spring training.”
Kluber, who has suffered an arm fracture and a torn muscle in his shoulder over the past two seasons, allowed four hits and two earned runs after two scoreless innings in his spring debut. He missed location at times, allowing a home run and hitting two batters, but he felt his velocity and stuff are coming along just as he’d hoped, all while still feeling healthy as Opening Day approaches.
“I was happy with the way I felt physically and where the stuff was at,” Kluber said. “I could have located some pitches better and been a little sharper…but as far as physically and stuff like that, I was happy.”
That’s likely all the Yankees want from Kluber at this point, especially since he figures to slot in second in the rotation behind Gerrit Cole. With Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery both trying to put their Tommy John histories further behind them, Kluber is one of several Yankee arms that pose a potential injury risk, but also carries the upside of a two-time Cy Young winner, a level he hopes to rediscover in 2021.
So far, Kluber feels like he’s on track for that goal.
“I think there’s still a little bit of fine-tuning as far as the lanes I want to be in…but as far as the action and shapes of them, I think I’m pretty close to where I want to be,” Kluber said. “So far, it’s all been good, and I’m hoping it stays that way.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
