Inside The Pinstripes

Zack Britton Set to Begin Rehab Assignment After First Live BP Since Elbow Surgery

New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton faced live hitters for the first time since left elbow surgery and is set to start his minor league rehab assignment

Max Goodman

After facing live hitters for the first time since left elbow surgery on Saturday afternoon, Zack Britton is set to begin his rehab assignment in the minor leagues.

The reliever is scheduled to join Double-A Somerset and make his first in-game appearance of the season on Wednesday, per Yankees manager Aaron Boone. 

Britton had a bone chip removed from his left elbow in March, landing on the 60-day injured list. Pitching in a live batting practice on Saturday in Scranton, Britton told his big-league manager that his arm is feeling good. 

"He was really encouraged. Said he was a little rusty, but felt like his stuff was good," Boone said. "His arm felt great. So it sounds like it was another good step for him."

On Friday, Boone revealed that Britton has five minor-league outings scheduled before the southpaw is ready to rejoin the Yankees' bullpen. That's assuming everything goes well along the way.

Even with their setup man missing for the first two months of the season, New York's bullpen has been both reliable and dominant. Entering play on Saturday, the 'pen has the third-best ERA (2.84) in baseball. The bullpen has also accounted for 166 strikeouts over 139.1 innings this season, fifth-most in the league. 

Britton returning to his spot in the eighth inning would allow relievers like Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga and Wandy Peralta to pitch earlier, bridging the gap from starting pitchers to closer Aroldis Chapman. 

In 2020, Britton pitched in 20 games, posting a 1.89 ERA with eight saves.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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