Yankees News: Ivan Nova Pitches in First Extended Spring Training Game

Two weeks ago we reported that New York Yankees starting pitcher Ivan Nova tossed his first live batting practice after undergoing Tommy John surgery. It was the first time he pitched continuously from the mound since his last start in April of 2014.

On Saturday, he took another giant leap forward in his recovery, pitching in his first extended spring training game, and throwing 18 pitches in 1.1 innings pitched. He gave up an infield single, but also managed to strike out one of the hitters he faced as well.

“First time out, more than I was expecting,” Nova told reporters. “Everything was good. I’m happy.”

Barring any setbacks, the 28-year old right hander will eventually be sent on a rehab assignment and make various starts at different levels of the Yankees minor league system. The expectation is that Ivan Nova will rejoin the New York Yankees starting rotation in June.

Despite being limited to just four starts in 2014, Nova is still 40-22 with a 4.20 ERA over his five-year career with the Yanks. Considering the fact that Nova is eligible for free-agency after the 2016 season, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when he makes his return to the Bronx. With Masahiro Tanaka on the DL and Chase Whitley starting in his place, the Yankees are scattering for arms and Nova, when ready, will be a nice addition to their rotation.

Other injury updates:

Southpaw Chris Capuano, who’s been sidelined with a strained quadricep, is a little ahead of the schedule than Nova. He pitched in his first rehab start on Saturday night for Class-A Tampa, giving up one unearned run on two hits while striking out four in as many innings of work. If all goes according to plan, Capuano should be ready to rejoin the Yankees rotation in the tail end of May.

Yankees reliever Jared Burton, who’s mending a strained lat, allowed two hits in one inning of work during the same extended spring game as Nova.

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