SEATTLE — Twenty-five light tosses from 90 feet is a long way from playing right field in the major leagues, but for Carlos Beltran it was a start.
Before Wednesday night’s game against the Mariners at Safeco Field, Beltran performed that exercise and said his right elbow, which has a bone spur, felt good.
“I’ll keep throwing and continue to add more throws and longer,’’ Beltran said of the next step.
Asked when the elbow will be strong enough to play right field for the first time since May 12, Beltran was in the dark.
“I have no idea. I have been out of throwing for a month. It’s going to take time,’’ Beltran said.
Beltran wore the brace he has been using at the plate and it didn’t hinder his throwing.
“I don’t think it’s a big difference,’’ said Beltran, who was the designated hitter for the sixth straight game Wednesday night, going 0-for-4 in the Yankees’ 4-2 win. He was coming off a two-hit game Tuesday when he drove in his second run since coming off the disabled list.
After Tuesday night’s game, Beltran said he can still feel discomfort in the elbow, which put him on the DL from May 13-June 5 and has been treated with oral medications and cortisone shots.
“I still feel a little pain but I will deal with it,’’ Beltran said. “Right now I am not thinking about it.’’
Beltran’s biggest contribution since coming off the shelf came in the first inning of Tuesday night’s win at Safeco Field.
Hitting coach Kevin Long and Beltran worked on altering his setup before Tuesday night’s game and Long said the pregame batting practice was an indication of better things to come.
“He was kind of tilted and smothering the ball,’’ Long said. “We tried to keep his torso upright. When he attacks, instead of keeping his head on the ball he has to keep his eyes on the ball. Take his body down to get a better look at it.’’
Manager Joe Girardi didn’t automatically reinstall Shawn Kelley in the eighth-inning spot he vacated when he was put on the disabled list May 13 with a strained lumbar spine. Kelley was activated for Wednesday night’s game.
“I will look at matchups and go from there,” said Girardi, who has seen Adam Warren and Dellin Betances star as David Robertson’s setup arms. “They are three guys you can use any time. They are interchangeable. Hopefully you have one every day.’’
Kelley last pitched May 6 against in Anaheim, Calif. The injury wasn’t expected to be serious, but cost him more than a month.
“I didn’t think it would be that long,’’ said Kelley, who threw one simulated game and appeared in two minor league games. “After a couple of setbacks I had to be patient with it. [Setbacks] were definitely frustrating. You wake up and can’t bend over. …’’
Kelley said Girardi’s message was simple.
“He said I was an important piece of the bullpen and his goal is to have somebody available every day,’’ Kelley said. “There is nobody better than Dellin. If we can keep Robertson to one inning that would be a huge help.’’
Right-handed reliever Matt Daley was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for Kelley, who was 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA and four saves in 16 appearances.
The Yankees also acquired lefty David Huff from the Giants for cash considerations. Wade LeBlanc was designated for assignment to add Huff, who was scheduled to be available Wednesday night.
“He did a good job for us last year,’’ Girardi said of Huff, who was 3-1 with a 4.67 ERA in 11 games (two starts) in 2013. “He is familiar with [pitching coach] Larry Rothschild.’’
Plays that happen in front of base umpires are not renewable but Girardi is going to give MLB a ring about the rule because it wasn’t upheld recently in Pittsburgh because the umpire got turned around and decided to look at the play.
“I will make a call about it,’’ Girardi said of a ball hit over the first base bag by Jacoby Ellsbury in the ninth inning that first base umpire Mark Wegner called foul. “If it can happen in one city we need to know if it can happen in another.”
Masahiro Tanaka added to an impressive Yankees stat with his complete-game victory that gave the Yankees a 20-8 record in games started by rookies.
They are 11-2 with Tanaka starting, 5-5 with Vidal Nuno and 4-1 with Chase Whitley took the mound. And they are 14-1 on the road with the neophytes starting.
Francisco Cervelli, who played first base in a rehab start at Double-A Trenton on Wednesday night, is eligible to come off the DL on Friday, and it will be interesting to see what the Yankees will do with him.
Cervelli is out of options, so if the Yankees don’t put him on the major league roster, he can become a free agent. With his tools, Cervelli would likely draw interest from several teams. The Yankees could dangle him as trade bait or keep three catchers and play Cervelli, who started two games at first base this year, at first when Mark Teixeira needs a rest.
Cervelli has been shelved since April 13 when he suffered a Grade 2 right hamstring injury running out a ground ball in Boston.
John Ryan Murphy, who was recalled April 16 to back up Brian McCann, has impressed Yankees staff members, as well as opposing scouts. Since Murphy has options he can be sent to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Two Super Bowl champions, quarterback Russell Wilson and offensive lineman Russell Okung of the Seahawks, were on the field for batting practice. Wilson chatted with Derek Jeter and Okung grabbed a bat and took a swing against batting practice pitcher Brett Weber, hitting a grounder to the right side.