Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle says he's 'trending' toward missing Opening Day despite no pain
Tommy Kahnle of the Yankees reacts after walking in a run during the eighth inning against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 20, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
TAMPA, Fla. — Tommy Kahnle, who threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday, said “it’s trending that way” when asked if he expected to miss the March 28 season opener.
Kahnle is recovering from shoulder inflammation that ended his 2023 season after a Sept. 20 appearance. He said the discomfort lasted longer than he expected in the offseason, but added that he feels 100% and is just a little behind his usual spring training timetable.
“No pain, no nothing,” he said. “Just been truckin’.”
Burdi impresses
Non-roster righthander Nick Burdi continued his bid to make the Opening Day roster by throwing a perfect inning with two strikeouts in the Yankees’ 4-3 loss to the Rays at Steinbrenner Field.
Burdi has a 3.00 ERA and has struck out seven in three innings in three outings. The 31-year-old has appeared in 19 big-league games from 2018-20 with Pittsburgh and last season with the Cubs and has a 9.39 ERA. But the Yankees have been impressed with his big arm.
Manager Aaron Boone said he thought Burdi looked even better than in his last outing, when he struck out the side against the Orioles but gave up a hit and a walk.
“Today, I thought he was really efficient with his stuff,” Boone said. “I liked today.”
The good, the bad and …
Gleyber Torres (2-for-3, first home run) is batting .313. Anthony Rizzo (2-for-3) is batting .500.
Giancarlo Stanton (0-for-3) is batting .077. DJ LeMahieu (0-for-3) is batting .083.
Extra bases
Boone said catcher Jose Trevino is slated to make his spring training debut on Sunday. Trevino has been out with a calf strain . . . Lefthander Tanner Tully, who started against the Mets on Tuesday, was reassigned to minor league camp, as was catcher J.C. Escarra and infielder T.J. Rumfield.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
