Yankees RP Zack Britton Encouraged by Recovery, Still Hopes to Return in 2022

Aaron Boone said the lefty expects to pitch this year.

Zack Britton is only in the early stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees are still hoping to have him back before the season is over.

That puts the team and the pitcher on the same page, according to Aaron Boone.

“I think he’s expecting to pitch this year,” the manager said Sunday. “I think that’s certainly a possibility.”

Britton, who had surgery in September, threw his first bullpen since the injury on Friday. The southpaw tossed at the organization’s player development complex in Tampa and came away happy with the results.

“He was really encouraged again, like he’s been most of the rehab,” said Boone, who talked to Britton the day after the pen session. “He’s been kind of encouraged every step of the way. He’s been doing a lot of work down there with performance sciences and he thinks some of the things he’s doing down there will help him with not only his arm care, but just being more efficient as he works his way back.”

Despite the positive early signs, Boone made it clear that Britton still has a long way to go. The 34-year-old will throw “a number of bullpens” before he faces hitters, according to the skipper, and doesn’t have a timetable for returning.

Britton has not appeared in a big league game since August 19, 2021. He also dealt with a bone chip in his elbow last season and did not pitch well, recording a 5.89 ERA over 18.1 innings. He has thrown just 37.1 innings since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

A two-time All-Star with a 1.84 ERA from 2014-2020, Britton has been aiming to return by the end of 2022 since March.

“Honestly, when I had this surgery, there was definitely a possibility of me pitching with the team this year,” the impending free agent said in spring training. “So if everything goes as planned, hopefully that's in the cards for me.”

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