Britton fans 2 in scoreless rehab outing

NEW YORK -- Zack Britton offered a thumbs-up after tossing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen on Saturday afternoon for Double-A Somerset, raising optimism that the rehabbing Yankees left-hander could rejoin the big league club on its upcoming road trip.

Britton struck out two while pitching around an error in an 18-pitch sixth inning, helping his club to a 7-2 victory over Reading in Somerset, N.J. Britton said that his next outing will come on Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in Trenton, N.J.

"I felt really good," Britton said. "I definitely feel closer after this one than I did the previous one, so that's really good. I'm bouncing back really well, feeling really good. I think after the next one, I'll have a better idea."

Britton is recovering from left elbow surgery performed in March, which removed a bone chip and loose bodies. The Yankees have said that Britton would likely need four to six outings in the Minors; Saturday marked Britton's third appearance for Somerset.

Britton has permitted a two-run homer among two hits over three innings (6.00 ERA), walking one and striking out four.

"I definitely wanted to sharpen up my command; I wasn't really happy with it in the previous outing," Britton said. "Today, the focus was being aggressive with my sinker and mixing in a few breaking balls. … I'm trying to figure out what makes the most sense for me, and where do I need to be from a pitching standpoint to where I feel like I'm going to help the team out in New York."