Zack Britton opened the window blinds of a downtown hotel room on Saturday morning, sunlight pouring in as he absorbed the Philadelphia skyline. For the Yankees left-hander, this was Opening Day.

Britton was activated from his Minor League rehab assignment on Saturday, having missed the season's first 63 games while recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur from his pitching elbow.

"I'm just really excited to be back," Britton said before throwing a 1-2-3 seventh inning of the Yankees' 8-7 loss to the Phillies in 10 innings. "Getting through the surgery and the innings getting built up, I'm really excited to join the guys. One of the biggest hurdles was to be able to do what I normally do before the game. Now I'm able to be myself and throw when I'm needed."

In corresponding moves, the Yankees designated first baseman Mike Ford for assignment and optioned right-hander Brooks Kriske to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"One of the conversations we had with Britt all along was, let's not be in a rush to do this," manager Aaron Boone said. "Let's do it when your body says you're ready to go and you feel like you're ready to come back and be Zack Britton. We listened to him quite a bit, but also followed what the stuff was doing. We feel like he's ready to be here."

Britton logged a 12.46 ERA in five Minor League appearances, permitting six runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings for Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His numbers were skewed by a June 8 appearance at Buffalo in which he allowed four runs while recording only one out.

"I started three of the five games and that's just not me anymore," said Britton, who began his career as a starting pitcher. "Those times I started the game, I didn't feel great. I felt out of whack, felt rushed, just not mentally all the way in it. But when I got out of the bullpen, two of the outings I felt great."

Grab a seat
This Interleague visit to a National League ballpark spells two days out of the lineup for Giancarlo Stanton, who will be limited to pinch-hitting duties off the bench as the Yankees look to guard against injuries. Stanton has yet to play the field in a game this season, including Spring Training.

"He and I had some conversations about it, probably about a week before he went on the IL [on May 17 with a left quadriceps strain]," Boone said. "The stint derailed that a little bit. This will be something that he and I will talk about organizationally -- if and when we want to start ramping that up again. He's actually been moving around out there in the outfield now, which is encouraging."

Stanton, who grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, showed signs of an offensive turnaround during the Yankees' recent series against the Twins, belting three homers with eight RBIs in three games at Target Field.

"The way he's swinging the bat the last couple of days, we'll definitely miss having him in the lineup," Boone said. "There may be a big spot and hopefully a chance to come up and have an impact in one or both of these games."

Ford in your future?
Ford was one of the "Next Man Up" contributors during the Yankees' injury-marred 2019 season, when he was added to the 40-man roster and slashed .259/.350/.559 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs in 50 games (136 OPS+).

The 28-year-old struggled over the next two seasons, slashing .134/.250/.276 with five homers and 16 RBIs (48 OPS+) over 51 games in 2020-21. Boone said that he still believes Ford is capable of being a Major League hitter and called it a "tough decision" to designate him.

"2020 was a little unique," Boone said. "He just never kind of got on track and had a hard time getting that consistent playing time to build off '19. This year, I think he got into a little bit of a rut, especially when he got into some more regular playing time and started to get some regular at-bats."

This date in Yankees history
June 12, 2009: With two outs in the ninth inning and the Yankees trailing the Mets by a run, Alex Rodriguez lifted a pop-up that was dropped by second baseman Luis Castillo. Two runs scored and the Yankees celebrated a 9-8 walk-off victory at Yankee Stadium.