In addition to Luis Severino facing batters for the first time before Sunday’s 8-4 loss to Cleveland as he comes back from the lat strain that has sidetracked his season, Dellin Betances threw a bullpen session as he attempts to come back from a lat strain of his own.
Severino and Betances will go to Tampa on Monday to continue throwing when the Yankees head out on a nine-game West Coast trip.
Betances, according to Aaron Boone, is slated to have another bullpen session Tuesday, when he will throw 15 pitches before sitting down and throwing another 10, to simulate pitching multiple innings.
“He’s building up,’’ Boone said, and if Betances rebounds well after that, he “would be very close to facing hitters.”
If Severino and Betances can rejoin the Yankees next month, they could have company.
General manager Brian Cashman has said if top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia gets called up this season, he’ll be used out of the bullpen, and that process began Saturday night, when the 20-year-old right-hander entered in the second inning for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and tossed five hitless innings.
He also walked five batters and struck out seven after Ben Heller tossed a scoreless first.
After beginning the season with Single-A Tampa, Garcia has jumped to SWB, where he has made seven appearances, the last three of which have been solid.
The Yankees figure to rely more heavily on their bullpen in October and the final month of the regular season could determine who’s a part of it.
The Indians have gotten the attention of most teams around the league with their second-half surge to near the top of the AL Central, and the Yankees were impressed by their firsthand look after the series split.
“They’re obviously a really good team and have a chance to get a pitcher or two back and that really helps them,’’ Boone said. “They’re really good. I know that’s a team that’s really capable. They had a slower start to the season, righted the ship and are playing really well in the second half.’’
Aaron Judge added it’s a team the Yankees will “probably see down the road.”
The Yankees scored a run for the 208th straight game, tied for the third-longest streak in MLB history. The record is 308 games, set by the Yankees from 1931 to 1933, followed by 212, done by the Brewers in 1978-79, and the Reds’ 208-game stretch from 2000 to 2001.
Luke Voit (core) will head to SWB in his comeback and could be in a rehab game by Friday.
Boone said they would be “pretty aggressive” with Voit, hoping that he could get enough at-bats to be able to rejoin the team in time for its next homestand, which begins Aug. 30.
Thairo Estrada became the latest Yankee to hit the 10-day IL with a strained right hamstring that Boone said he suffered running out a ground ball in Saturday’s win. Tyler Wade was recalled from SWB to take his spot.
Boone added the injury was not related to Estrada being forced to play right field following Brett Gardner’s ejection.
“He felt a tweak, stayed in the game and after the game was a little sore,’’ Boone said. “He came in [Sunday] morning pretty tight. It looks like at least a few days and we felt we needed to make a move to have coverage.” … Ten of Gardner’s last 11 hits have been for extra bases.