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Tommy Kahnle of the Yankees reacts after walking in a run...

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

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees’ bullpen is on the cusp of being whole again.

Not that the group has performed as if it’s needed a boost.

Still, Friday brought the return of hard-throwing righthander Nick Burdi, a spring training revelation, and maybe within the next week to 10 days, Tommy Kahnle appears as if he’ll be major league-ready.

Kahnle, who started the season on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, began a rehab assignment with Class A Tampa on Thursday. After working out at the club’s minor-league complex in Tampa, the righthander said Friday morning that he’ll likely need only five more rehab outings, including the one scheduled for Saturday afternoon with the Tampa Tarpons, before rejoining the Yankees.

“I would say probably after one more [outing], it’s probably there,” Kahnle said of his stuff feeling as if it could get major-league hitters out. “The rest is just getting [built up].”

Kahnle, who signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract before last season, ended 2023 on the injured list with a shoulder injury. It never fully healed in the offseason and he was brought along slowly during spring training, well behind other pitchers in camp.

By mid-March, it was apparent that Kahnle would not be ready for the start of the regular season, but there still was hope that he might be healthy a week or two after it began.

His throwing program, however, hit a brief detour right at the end of spring training when his arm didn’t bounce back from a live batting practice session. But after five days of no-throw, Kahnle resumed throwing, and he said on Friday, “It’s been great since.”

When Kahnle, who will head to Double-A Somerset to continue his rehab after Saturday’s outing, does return, he’ll be joining a bullpen that has been among the best in the sport this season.

Entering Friday night’s series opener against the Rays, Yankees relievers had the lowest bullpen ERA in the majors (2.25). That includes a 0.61 ERA in their previous 10 games going into Friday.

The unit is as big a reason as any that the Yankees came into the weekend 17-0 when leading after six innings and 21-0 when leading after seven.

And it hasn’t just been closer Clay Holmes, who hasn’t allowed an earned runs in 16 appearances and 11-for-12 in save chances entering this series.

“It’s been huge,” Aaron Boone said of the bullpen’s performance before Friday night’s game. “Gotta have that. I feel like the starters have done a really good job of giving us good opportunities to win every night, but then the bullpen’s a big reason why we’ve been able to close out or hold the line and come back, and they’ve all played a role in that.

“Obviously, Clay’s been outstanding closing things down, but everyone leading up to him has really done their job really well. If you’re going to have a good bullpen, it takes more than two or three guys that you can hang your hat on.”

Kahnle, watching from afar, has taken note.

“They’ve been great,” he said. “I’ve felt like everybody’s done well. This bullpen, top to bottom, is really good. You look at Clay, he’s absolutely shutting the door. And everybody else is pitching well [in front] of him. That’s all we need. We just need our bullpen to cover what the starters give us because we’re going to hit the ball.”

Notes & quotes: Top position prospect Jasson Dominguez, in the homestretch of his rehab from Tommy John surgery, has been working out regularly at the minor-league complex since the start of the season and, according to Boone earlier this week, is likely to be sent out on a rehab assignment within the next two weeks. Dominguez has been throwing and hitting — much of the latter has taken place indoors — and on Saturday he’ll begin throwing to bases, among the final hurdles to be cleared in the rehab process. Word from those inside the complex is that Dominguez, 21, has looked good in his work, especially the last couple of weeks . . . Gerrit Cole (right elbow inflammation) is with the team here and is slated to throw the third bullpen session of his rehab on Saturday at Tropicana Field. He will stay behind to do additional work at the minor-league complex when the Yankees head to Minneapolis after the Rays series, though Boone said the righthander still could rejoin the team there at some point.

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