Chamberlain could be back with Yankees as soon as Friday
New York Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain will pitch for Class AA Trenton on Tuesday night, the eighth appearance during his rehab assignment. After that, his next outing may very well be back in the majors.
Chamberlain is returning from a right ankle dislocation, an injury he sustained in March as he was on his way back from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has looked good during his three-plus weeks in the minors, showing off a mid-to-high 90s fastball and solid command.
"I felt ready a month ago; now it's just continuing to get into game situations," Chamberlain said. "You can go into any game situation and be ready, but to go through the experiences and the process that we've gone through so far has helped us to get better and clean some things up."
Chamberlain is expected to enter the late-inning mix in the Yankees' bullpen, joining David Robertson, Boone Logan, Cody Eppley and Clay Rapada as the primary setup men for closer Rafael Soriano. After pitching at three different minor league levels during his rehab assignment, Chamberlain may be activated as soon as Friday.
"It's kind of gone by quick just because there were games and there was always something to look forward to," he said. "For the first couple of months, it was just kind of rehab, and it kind of drags a little bit, but as far as now, the last month has gone pretty quick. Just to be able to throw in games and be in different spots and just get some different scenery. I stared at the four walls in the rehab thing for a while, so it kind of got redundant and monotonous. It was nice to be able to get out and see some different fields and see some different places."
Logan allowed two runs in the seventh inning Monday, and it proved critical, as the Yankees' comeback attempt fell short in a 5-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
