Dellin Betances was back in the Bronx on Sunday, but he still has some work to do before he makes his first appearance of the season after being down with right shoulder impingement followed by a lat strain.
A day after throwing 22 pitches to hitters in Tampa, the right-hander said he felt some improvement from his previous time on a mound.
“It went better than the second time,’’ said Betances, adding that it took longer to recover following his first time facing hitters than he anticipated.
“I felt like the direction [of the pitches] was a little better,’’ Betances said. “The breaking ball is still not where I want it to be.”
He’s scheduled to face hitters again on Tuesday, this time at Yankee Stadium.
“The more I pitch, the better I’ll feel,’’ Betances said. “The biggest thing is recovery and I’ve been recovering pretty good. That’s what I’m paying attention to.”
Neither Betances nor Aaron Boone has a timetable for his return.
Cameron Maybin has been dealing with a sore left wrist and has been limited to pinch-running duties. He last started in the outfield on Wednesday.
“He’s had a little bit of improvement in there,’’ Boone said. “I’ve been trying to stay away from him a little bit. Hopefully over the next couple days, he starts getting back in the mix.’’
Zack Britton said there were no lingering issues with his right calf after leaving Saturday’s game with a cramp near where he had Achilles surgery over a year ago. But after Sunday’s game, Boone said the team decided to avoid using the left-hander: “We don’t want to push it.’’
The Yankees became the first team to win 90 games with their 5-4 victory over the A’s on Sunday. They reached the plateau in 138 games. The only time they got to 90 wins faster since 1964 was in their record-setting season in 1998.
Mike Ford’s game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth also gave the Yankees their second walk-off home run in as many games. It’s the first time the Yankees have had consecutive walk-off wins since June 29-30, 2016, both times against the Rangers.
And with Sunday’s rally, they have an MLB-high 41 comeback wins this season.
They improved to 17-0-3 in their last 20 home series, their longest unbeaten stretch at the current Yankee Stadium.
Didi Gregorius snapped an 0-for-15 slump with his eighth-inning two-run single … With rosters expanding to 40 on Sunday, the Yankees called up right-handers Ryan Dull and Chance Adams from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Left-hander Tyler Lyons was also recalled, as was Clint Frazier.
Boone said as the minor league season winds down, more players will be brought to the Bronx, including Kyle Higashioka, who will provide more catching depth.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Yankees will team with Fans for the Cure and New York-Presbyterian to administer free screenings for prostate cancer for men in attendance who are 40 years of age or older.