ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Michael Pineda’s first season with the Yankees will be a five-month affair at best.
Before Friday’s Opening Day 7-6 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field, manager Joe Girardi gave a strong indication the injured right-hander won’t surface this month.
“That’s pretty safe to say, it’s the sixth already,’’ Girardi said.
Pineda, who is on the disabled list with tendinitis in the back of his right shoulder, played catch for the second straight day.
He is scheduled to long toss tomorrow.
“He felt better,’’ Girardi said.
The manager doesn’t have a date when Pineda will return.
“It’s too early, we have to wait and see him off the mound and draw up a plan,’’ Girardi said.
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Andy Pettitte threw a 45-pitch bullpen session at the minor league complex in Tampa. His next assignment will be a two-inning stint Monday for the Yankees’ extended spring team. … Girardi is going to play Eduardo Nunez at shortstop or third today but wasn’t ready to divulge if Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter would be the designated hitter against lefty David Price.
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Girardi got lefty reliever Clay Rapada up in the seventh inning instead of Boone Logan, the primary lefty in the bullpen.
“I gave Logan one more day, he said he feels good,’’ Girardi said of Logan, who was hit by back spasms Wednesday.
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Early in camp, Girardi anointed Hiroki Kuroda as part of the five-man rotation behind CC Sabathia. Tonight, the $10 million, one-year investment, makes his Yankees debut.
“I did everything I can to prepare for this,” Kuroda said. “You just don’t know until you go on the mound and pitch a game and see how I feel. I always have to challenge myself. The reason why I signed with this team is because I wanted to challenge myself and I welcome that challenge.”
Kuroda, 37, went 41-46 in four seasons with the Dodgers. After the Yankees were unable to land him at last year’s trade deadline, he was targeted in the offseason to be the No. 2 starter behind Sabathia.
“Any team I pitch for, I have nerves and butterflies,” said Kuroda. “I don’t know how it will be [tonight].”
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Several Yankees sported T-shirts with the number 1 and the degree sign next to it inside a circle. It signifies the amount of degrees between boiling water (212 degrees fahrenheit at sea level) and water that’s not boiling. It’s a message by Girardi that every degree counts.
On the back of the gray shirt are the words, “Mind. Heart. Guts.’’
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The Rays paid $5,000 to get the ball Evan Longoria hit for the game-winning homer in the final game of last season. That blast put them in the playoffs when Longoria homered off an over-matched Scott Proctor, who was pitching for the Yankees.
The ball was the one Jim Dundee, son of late, legendary boxing trainer Angelo, threw out for the ceremonial first pitch.|
Dundee, who trained world champions Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman and Carmen Basilio, passed away on Feb. 1.
The Rays have painted “162 LANDING” beyond the left-field fence where Longoria’s homer landed.
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The Rays have won five straight games against the Yankees. … Rodriguez went 2-for-3 and has at least one hit in all eight Opening Day games as a Yankee.