Kluber starts Mon.; Sevy gets OK

OAKLAND, Calif. — Corey Kluber’s long Yankees intermission will end Monday night — and Luis Severino might not be done for the season just yet.

Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Kluber — out since late May with a right shoulder strain — will return to the starting rotation in the series opener against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif. The 35-year-old made three minor league starts to ramp up, posting an 11.25 ERA in eight innings.

“He feels really good,” Boone said of Kluber. “I think he’s ready to take on major-league competition and go to that next level . ... He’s not all the way built up, but we feel like he’s built up to go out and give us a few really strong innings.”

Severino, meanwhile, was examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday and was cleared to begin a throwing program. He had been shut down when he experienced tightness in his shoulder while warming up for a rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 13. Severino hasn’t pitched for the Yankees since the 2019 postseason, following 2020 Tommy John surgery, a strained groin and, most recently, the shoulder tightness.

It’s unclear what the Yankees can expect from Severino down the stretch.

“I don’t even want to speculate on it,’’ Boone said. “We’ll see when he gets on the mound for a bullpen.”

Kluber’s return to the rotation will follow his most recent rehabilitation outing, when he threw 3 2/3 innings for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, allowing two runs, while throwing 60 pitches.

He will take the rotation slot of recently acquired veteran Andrew Heaney, who will shift to the bullpen. Boone said Heaney, who has compiled a 6.23 ERA in five Yankees starts, could relieve Kluber on Monday in a “piggyback” scenario.

“This will give us an opportunity to see Andrew in a different role and see how he responds to that,” Boone said.

Beyond that, Boone pointed to an upcoming stretch of 20 games in 20 days following the off-day after the upcoming series against the Angels.

They could insert a sixth starter during that 20-game span.