Yankees have multiple updates on injured players who could be nearing a return

Jon Berti was acquired by the Yankees in a three-way trade with the Marlins and Rays, with Ben Rortvedt going to Tampa and outfield prospect John Cruz heading to Miami. The Yankees, who felt as if they needed help at third base, traded for the veteran infielder to help provide some much-needed insurance in their infield and speed to their bench.

As a whole, this is one of the slower teams in the league, and while Berti got off to a slow start, that could be because of the groin strain he had been dealing with. According to Aaron Boone, he could be activated as soon as tomorrow, as Berti completed a rehab assignment with the Somerset Patriots earlier this week. Berti went 1-9 with three walks and a steal across three games with the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate.

Nick Burdi was signed to a Minor League free agent deal and made the team out of camp, and he fired 6.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in seven appearances thus far. He’s been dealing with hip inflammation, but after getting an injection and throwing on the side, the Yankees will have him throw in a rehab game in Somerset on Saturday. The hard-throwing reliever has excellent stuff, and Aaron Boone immediately felt comfortable throwing him in big moments.

The two things that stand out with Nick Burdi are his elite Stuff+ numbers (118) thanks to his 98-100 MPH fastball that generates plenty of horizontal movement from a weird slot. He also has a strong slider that helps his pitch grades as well, but that comes with some pretty messy control. In a sense, Nick Burdi is effectively wild, and the Yankees know he can be a difference-maker in their bullpen.

Tommy Kahnle is the longest-tenured player in this group, and last year he was one of the better relievers in this bullpen last season. He posted a 2.84 ERA with 48 strikeouts across 40.2 innings pitched, generating a high groundball rate with a nasty changeup to go with it. Aaron Boone mentioned that he will throw another live bullpen session and they’ll go from there with his progression, as he could either throw another live BP after that or go on a rehab assignment.

He was one of the Yankees’ go-to relievers in high-leverage last season, and if the bullpen can get him back it takes a group that is tied for first in ERA (2.45) and makes it even better. We’ll see how his rehab progresses, as he’s further behind than Berti or Burdi in terms of returning to the team. Still, these three players are impact pieces for the Yankees, and they could be back sooner rather than later.