NEW YORK -- Luis Severino can look around the Yankees' clubhouse and recognize that he is one of the club's longest-tenured players; only Brett Gardner remains from the roster that took the field behind the right-hander's Major League debut in 2015.

Yet nearly two years removed from his most recent appearance on a big league mound, Severino can't confidently say that this is still his team. He hopes that changes very soon.

"Not being able to help the team for a couple of years has been really bad," Severino said. "I'm looking forward to joining the team. If they want me to hit, throw, catch, whatever. I don't really care right now."

Pitching would be the Yankees' preference, as Severino did Friday, tossing two innings of live batting practice from the Yankee Stadium mound. Facing Rougned Odor and Tyler Wade, Severino touched 96 mph with his fastball and appeared "really sharp," according to manager Aaron Boone.

"It looks like he's pretty encouraged about it, too," Boone said. "I feel like his energy and intensity have been good. There's a confidence that he has, especially in his arm right now."

Boone believes that, even at this late stage, there is a road map to have Severino pitching out of the bullpen by the end of the month. Severino has not pitched in a big league game since Game 3 of the 2019 American League Championship Series against the Astros.

"We're not going to get him built up to start or anything like that, but I can [see Severino pitching in the Majors]," Boone said. "We'll see what the next step is, getting him into a game in a couple of days, but I could envision him being with us pretty soon if everything goes well."

Health has not been a given for Severino this year. Already in the third season of a $40 million contract extension, Severino's 2021 campaign has been a mix of rehab from Tommy John surgery, a setback and accompanying rehab of a right groin strain, then another delay with right shoulder tightness.

"I've been feeling really good the last couple of weeks. I feel ready," Severino said. "I've been looking forward to the whole year. Different situations happen, but hopefully this is the last time [for rehab]."

Germán update
Right-hander Domingo Germán (recovery from right shoulder tightness) is expected to pitch in a Minor League game on Saturday, potentially for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. If that outing goes well, Germán could be tapped to join the Yankees' bullpen.

He said it
"I'm just trying to do the best I can out there, to take care of my job and my responsibilities. I'm putting a lot of heart into this and I'm just trying to win every single game I pitch. Hopefully I make the playoff roster." -- Yankees rookie right-hander Luis Gil

This date in Yankees history
Sept. 17, 1951: The Yankees walked off with a 2-1 victory vs. Cleveland when Phil Rizzuto executed a squeeze bunt to score Joe DiMaggio with the winning run. Rizzuto also drove in the Yankees' first run with a fifth-inning single.