Pineda Comeback Continues, Could Start MiL Rehab Soon

Michael Pineda has been pitching in simulated and Extended ST games for exactly 4 weeks now.  He's gotten positive feedback from all the coaches who have seen him throw, was reported to be throwing mid-90s earlier this month, and is now having his ExST starts stretched out (51 pitches in his last outing) in anticipation of starting his offical 30-day MiL rehab stint soon.

Those details come courtesy of Ken Davidoff, who reported yesterday that Pineda "received strong reviews"  from his latest outing on Saturday.  The plan is to have him pitch once more on Thursday and next Tuesday to extend his pitch count before starting his rehab assignment.  That would put him on track to make his first rehab start either on June 2nd or 3rd depending on the schedules and which affiliate he's assigned to and his return to the Major League roster sometime in early July if everything goes according to plan.

David Phelps is doing a nice job filling in on the back end right now, but between Andy's back issues and Phil Hughes' recent struggles there are still plenty of opportunities for Pineda to work his way back in.  This latest development puts a somewhat definitive timeline on when we could see him finally make his Yankee debut.