TAMPA — Domingo German was placed on the 60-day injured list on Thursday with what the Yankees are calling right shoulder soreness.
The move was made, in part, to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Anthony Rizzo, whose signing became official earlier in the day.
Aaron Boone said the right-hander recently began a throwing program after he aggravated the shoulder injury he initially suffered in the latter part of last season throwing on his own in January during the MLB lockout.
“He’s throwing,’’ the manager said. “He’s playing catch. I think [Wednesday] was his second day of throwing, so he has started his throwing, but it’ll be a while.”
The Yankees seem optimistic German won’t be out too long, but it adds more uncertainty to a rotation that already had some question marks behind Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery.
They’ve gotten positive news on Jameson Taillon, who is ahead of schedule in his return from offseason ankle surgery and Luis Severino looks strong after returning from Tommy John surgery late last season.
Aaron Boone said Thursday the plan is for Nestor Cortes Jr. to return to the rotation, where he emerged as a dependable starter.
With Oakland in the midst of another fire sale, the Yankees are monitoring the availability of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas.
The Yankees will play their first Grapefruit League game of the spring when they visit Bradenton, Fla. on Friday to face the Pirates.
Right-handed prospect Hayden Wesneski is scheduled to start for the Yankees, as Boone said they will hold back their major league starters for a bit due to the late start to spring training. Among the regular position players going to the game are Luke Voit — now auditioning for a spot on another team after the signing of Rizzo.
New shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Gleyber Torres, now back at second, will get their first chance to work as a double-play duo. Joey Gallo also is expected to make the trip.
“We’ve got a handful of regulars that are going [to Bradenton on Friday and Sarasota on Saturday],” Boone said. “We’ll probably treat it like a normal first game, whether it’s three or four innings [and] a couple of at-bats. We’ll pay close attention to how they’re doing.”
Asked about a potential regular-season lineup, Boone said he could see DJ LeMahieu leading off at times, as well as Aaron Hicks, Rizzo and Gallo.
The way we’re constructed now, I do feel like we have some more versatility and flexibility,’’ Boone said of the lineup. “We’ll just kind of see what makes the most sense. As it sits here now, we have a chance to have some real balance and that’s comforting.”
CC Sabathia made his first appearance at camp as an instructor. Asked if he was considering a comeback, Sabathia shook his head and said, “No.”
Additional reporting by Greg Joyce