Yanks’ Pineda to have Tommy John surgery

New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is set to have Tommy John surgery this week, likely putting him out of action until at least late next year.

The Yankees said Pineda will have surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow.

New York opened a series Monday night in Minnesota. The Yankees began the day holding the second AL wild-card spot and 3½ games behind AL East-leading Boston.

The 28-year-old Pineda is 8-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 17 starts. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

Pineda won’t be the only member of the team on the operating table Tuesday, as first baseman Greg Bird will have ankle surgery oand is expected to miss the next six weeks.

After a strong spring training, Bird hit just .100 with one home run in 19 games to start the season. He was placed on the disabled list on May 2 with a bone bruise on his right ankle.

Bird missed all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi says the team is hopeful he could return to the field in September.

■ Mets: Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey began their throwing programs, playing catch together at Citi Field in their first steps toward returning to the mound.

On the mend from significant injuries, both right-handers said they felt good — but neither would put a timetable on his recovery. Harvey hasn’t been sidelined as long as Syndergaard, but both are at least several weeks away from coming off the disabled list.

Syndergaard, an All-star last season, has been out since May 1 with a torn lat muscle on his right side. Harvey, the oft-injured former ace who has faded the past two years, went down in mid-june with a stress injury to his right shoulder.

■ Pirates: Pittsburgh outfielder Starling Marte is set to return Tuesday after an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Marte’s absence forced Hurdle to return Andrew Mccutchen to center field, where Mccutchen will stay even with Marte back in the fold. Marte, who won Gold Gloves in both 2015 and 2016 while working in spacious left field at PNC Park, has no issue with the switch.

Marte was hitting .241 with two homers and seven RBIS in 13 games when he was penalized.

■ Astros: Carlos Beltran hasn’t used his glove in a game in more than two months.

So his teammates gathered around him in center field and laid his mitt to rest, holding a mock funeral to send it off.

The silly ceremony was held at Minute Maid Park before batting practice, prior to the AL West leaders hosting Seattle. The Astros all wore black shirts to mark the occasion except for Brian Mccann, who donned a black robe to officiate the service.

■ Red Sox: Boston manager John Farrell said Major League Baseball denied the Red Sox’s protest over a bizarre play on the bases last weekend involving Matt Holliday of the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox wanted an interference call Saturday in the 11th inning of a game they lost

4-1 in 16 innings at Fenway Park. Holliday retreated toward first base after forced out at second on a grounder, sliding back into the bag as the throw came to first baseman Mitch Moreland.

The throw hit Ellsbury and bounced into foul territory.

Ellsbury was allowed to stay at first, and didn’t end up scoring.

■ Braves: Atlanta activated utility players Sean Rodriguez and Danny Santana from the disabled list.

Rodriguez needed surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder after a vehicle he was driving was rammed by a stolen police car in Miami on Jan. 28.

There were concerns Rodriguez would miss the season after the surgery. He signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal with Atlanta in November.

Rodriguez set career highs by hitting .270 with 18 homers and 56 RBIS for Pittsburgh in 2016.

Santana missed the minimum 10 days with a bacterial infection.

■ Royals: Kansas City reinstated reliever Neftali Feliz from the paternity list and optioned right-hander Miguel Almonte to Triple-a Omaha during a series of roster moves.

Feliz has a 2.57 ERA in seven appearances. Almonte did not pitch during his most recent stint.