Jake Cousins successfully completed an MRI and interview with team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad.
The Yankees relief pitcher, who was placed on the disabled list Sunday with a right pectoral muscle injury, said Tuesday that results from imaging tests on Monday were “very encouraging” and showed nothing “scary” and that he could be back in time for the American League Series, which begins on Oct. 5.
“That's the goal,” Cousins said Tuesday before the Yankees open their series against the Orioles in the Bronx.
Cousins will take a few more days off from throwing to focus on strength training before resuming pitching.
Manager Aaron Boone indicated that could happen on Thursday, and if all goes well, he could move on to bullpen sessions and facing hitters by next week.
Cousins last played catch on Saturday at Oakland, which is why the Yankees decided they needed to place him on the release list ahead of the postseason.
“[I felt it] “I'm not going to be 100 percent like I was when I pitched in Seattle,” Cousins said, referring to the six pitches he threw on Thursday before leaving the mound with a trainer. “I decided to just take it a little slow and make sure I'm back as healthy as I can be.”
The timing of Friday's retroactive IL placement was strategic: The earliest Cousins could return would be Game 1 of the American League Series, and the right-hander, if healthy, is a key piece of the late-inning bullpen.
“We're optimistic,” Boone said, “and all the testing has come out pretty good, just like we would have hoped, but we're not there yet.”
As soon as the Yankees clinch the American League East title, a decision awaits on how to handle the five-day rest period before next week's American League Finals.
Last year, three of the four teams given exemptions from the first round lost in the ALDS, sparking a lot of debate about whether the remaining games were actually good for the teams.
Boone insisted Tuesday afternoon that the Yankees aren't at that stage yet because they have yet to clinch a division title, but that he will address it once that is decided.
“This is tournament baseball, so if we can eliminate one of the steps, especially the best-of-three games, [wild-card series] “Anything can happen, so you want to keep it as short as possible,” Boone said. “Teams have tried a lot of different tactics to stay sharp. I don't think there's a magic answer or a magic pill.”
“It's baseball after all, so it's important who's in good form going into the series. Whatever scenario happens, we want to be as prepared as possible and give it our all.”
Knicks forward Josh Hart, wearing his great-uncle Elston Howard's No. 32 jersey, took batting practice with Giancarlo Stanton, Juan Soto and Anthony Volpe and then threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday's game.
