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LOS ANGELES — On Saturday, it was the Dodger Stadium mound four and a half hours before first pitch.
By Tuesday, it could be the Yankee Stadium mound in the late innings.
Fernando Cruz completed what is expected to be his last step before being activated off the injured list, facing hitters Saturday morning at Dodger Stadium as he comes back from shoulder inflammation.
The reliever threw about 17 pitches to Pablo Reyes and J.C. Escarra, and if he recovers well in the coming days, he should be activated off the IL when he is first eligible on Tuesday.
“Everything feels really good, effortless,” Cruz said before the Yankees’ 18-12 blowout loss to the Dodgers. “I wasn’t even trying to throw hard and it feels amazing. … Feel really good. Threw all my pitches for strikes. Velocity was there. … Feel really healthy.”
Getting Cruz back will be a big boost for the Yankees bullpen after he had pitched to a 2.66 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 23 ¹/₃ innings before being sidelined.
“I think it was worth it [going on the IL],” Cruz said. “The pain I was going through needed to be fixed. This time made me even better, I think, from a working standpoint.”
On a weekend when he received his World Series ring from the Dodgers, Ryan Yarbrough is set to face them in Sunday’s series finale.
The veteran lefty swingman, who has been a boon for the Yankees so far this season, made 32 relief appearances for the Dodgers last year before they traded him to the Blue Jays at the deadline.
The Yankees could have skipped Yarbrough on Sunday and thrown Carlos Rodón on normal rest, especially with an off day Monday.
Instead, they will keep Yarbrough on turn and give Rodón the extra rest before facing the Guardians on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, coming off his seven-inning, 105-pitch gem against the Angels.
“Just felt like it was probably best and that puts [Rodón] in line to go Tuesday-Sunday now, which would be a five-day on the next one,” manager Aaron Boone said. “And obviously, Yarbs is throwing the ball really well.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (oblique strain) played in his second rehab game Saturday with Double-A Somerset, going 1-for-3 with a steal and spending six innings at third base.
He could DH on Sunday before likely being activated Tuesday.
After crushing two home runs on Friday night, Shohei Ohtani took the mound Saturday afternoon for the equivalent of two innings, facing hitters for the second time since undergoing UCL surgery.
The Dodgers have said the two-way superstar could return to pitching in games at some point after the All-Star break.
A handful of Yankees came out to watch Ohtani throw, including Oswald Peraza, who had his phone out to document it.
