TAMPA, Fla. -- Dellin Betances was granted a late arrival to Yankees camp following the birth of his child, and judging from his first time facing batters this spring, the right-hander will not need long to catch up with the rest of the team's elite bullpen.
"I should be fine," Betances said on Tuesday, before the Yanks' Grapefruit League contest against the Phillies was canceled due to inclement weather. "As long as I build arm strength, that's the biggest key. I've felt better each and every day. I'm still not quite where I need to be; that'll take time. But five or six [appearances], I should be fine."
Working to Thairo Estrada and Estevan Florial on a back diamond of the George M. Steinbrenner Field complex, Betances said that he overthrew his fastball at times, but that his breaking ball was sharp. He will take a day off before returning to the bullpen, with a simulated game set for later in the week.
"I thought he was good for the first time against hitters," manager Aaron Boone said. "He had really good command of his breaking ball, was good with his fastball overall and made some good ones. Missed with some, but overall a pretty strong first day for him against hitters."
Betances, who turns 31 in March, posted a 2.70 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings over 66 appearances last season. He projects as a key member of a relief crew that will also feature Zack Britton, Chad Green, Jonathan Holder and Adam Ottavino powering the ball to closer Aroldis Chapman.
"I think we're just very deep," Betances said. "We have guys that can strike out guys at a high level and it just gives us a lot of options for Boone to play with. At the same time, we'll get our days off when we need to and we still have a great guy pitching, whoever it is. We've got to feed off each other and have a great year."
The Yankees have recently agreed to extensions with right-hander Luis Severino (four years, $40 million) and outfielder Aaron Hicks (seven years, $70 million). Betances is eligible for free agency after this season and the club has expressed interest in striking a deal with him, though he declined to offer a progress update.
"It's a great team, a great group of guys who have grown up together," Betances said. "This team is going to be special this year and the years going forward. I love playing with them. We'll see. I'm really not discussing it. I'm just trying to focus on playing baseball and helping this team win, and that's my goal."
Tanaka time
With Tuesday's contest washed out, right-hander Masahiro Tanaka threw approximately 30 pitches over two simulated innings in the bullpen at Steinbrenner Field, working with pitching coach Larry Rothschild standing in the box as a batter. Tommy Kahnle and Britton also threw side sessions.
"Obviously I wanted to pitch in a game, but I think the good part of today was to throw a little bit with force, put some more gas onto the pitches," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "Being able to build up on the intensity of the pitches was the takeaway from today."
Tanaka's next outing is expected to come in a split-squad game on Sunday, as the Yankees will host the Tigers and visit the Blue Jays. It will be Tanaka's first experience with the pitch clock experiment, and the right-hander hopes that the 20-second timer can be limited to Spring Training games.
"Personally, I'm not in favor of the 20-second rule," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "There's a time lag that exists between pitches, so if you're putting a limit on that, I'm not in favor of that. That time lag between the pitches, you're thinking about what to throw next and what the next pitch is going to be. The hitters are thinking about what's coming. There's that certain time that makes baseball fun."
Bombers bits
• Left-hander CC Sabathia (right knee surgery, angioplasty) has been playing catch and briefly threw from a mound this week. The Yankees plan to have Sabathia throw his first bullpen session on Friday.
"He's doing well. He's getting the strength back," Boone said. "His arm feels great, he feels good. I think the momentum is going the right way."
• Boone said that he has been impressed by infielder Kyle Holder, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee. The 24-year-old was limited to 48 Minor League games last season due to a fractured vertebrae that occurred late in Spring Training, and then a concussion sustained in August.
"He's been a guy that continues to grab our attention because he's such a gifted defender and he looks a little stronger this year," Boone said.
Up next
Right-hander Chance Adams will start on Wednesday as the Yankees visit the Tigers for a 1:05 p.m. ET contest in Lakeland, Fla. Detroit counters with right-hander Michael Fulmer. New York's travel squad includes Miguel Andujar, Hicks, Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres.