Sanchez set to join Yanks after rehab game

NEW YORK -- The Yankees are "optimistic" that Gary Sanchez will rejoin the lineup on the club's upcoming West Coast road trip, according to manager Aaron Boone, though the catcher is expected to play in at least one Minor League rehab game before being activated.

Eligible to come off the injured list on Sunday, Sanchez has been testing his left calf strain for several days, including catching J.A. Happ's bullpen session at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Sanchez said that he also ran, hit and threw, reporting no discomfort.

"I felt good," Sanchez said through an interpreter. "As you know, catching a bullpen and being in the game are different. The adrenaline isn't the same, but it felt good. The plan is to keep working with the trainers, keep getting treatment."

Sanchez experienced tightness in the calf during the Yankees' recent series in Houston, though he was able to appear in all three games. An MRI taken when the team returned to New York revealed a Grade 1 strain, and Sanchez landed on the injured list on April 12.

• A look at the Yankees' injury timetables

"I feel like it's close," Boone said. "We're optimistic that we're real close to [Sanchez being activated]. We're kind of waiting on the doctors to sign off and then hopefully we'll get him out of there and play a game or two and move on from there."

Boone said that he did not know where Sanchez's potential rehab game would take place; both Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Double-A Trenton are on the road this weekend, with the RailRiders in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Thunder in Portland, Maine.

More progress
Miguel Andújar continues to give the Yankees reasons to believe that he will be able to avoid season-ending right shoulder labrum surgery, making a series of strong throws across the Yankee Stadium infield on Friday afternoon.

"I was really encouraged," Boone said. "Today was going to be a day where he threw from the grass across the field for the first time, and he felt comfortable enough to move back to the dirt, which was a good sign. We saw him throw from some different angles; obviously, not totally letting it go, but pretty good pace from across the diamond."

With the team set to leave New York after Sunday's game, Andujar is scheduled to report to Tampa, Fla., this weekend, where he will continue his rehab.

"We continue to get encouraging feedback from how he's responding and progressing," Boone said. "At this point, we remain optimistic with him being able to return at some point. Today felt like another good step for him."

Outfielder Aaron Hicks (left lower back strain) and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (left calf strain) are also returning to the Yankees' player development complex in Tampa, while outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (left biceps strain) will travel with the team. Boone said that Stanton could return during the West Coast trip, which starts Monday against the Angels.

This date in Yankees history
April 19, 2012: With a second-inning RBI single, Derek Jeter tied boyhood idol Dave Winfield for 18th place on the all-time hits list (3,110). The Yankees defeated the Twins, 7-6.