Biceps tendinitis still hounding Kahnle

TAMPA — Aaron Boone was hopeful that Tommy Kahnle’s biceps tendinitis would not jeopardize his availability to start the regular season on time.

The Yankees reliever sounded less certain on Monday.

“We’ll see what happens,” Kahnle said before the Yankees beat the Pirates 9-2 at Steinbrenner Field. “I’m going to take it slow just so I’m healthy and ready to go.”

Kahnle, who on Monday was on the fourth day of a 10-day shutdown from throwing, has dealt with biceps tendinitis twice before in his career. He said he missed a month of the season when he experienced it in 2014 — though it was actually only about three weeks — and then tried to pitch through it in 2018 and ended up getting sent to the minors.

“So this time I caught it early and we’re just going to see how it goes,” said Kahnle, who signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract to rejoin the Yankees in December.

Kahnle said he felt something after his first live bullpen session of camp and thought it may have just been soreness. But when he still didn’t bounce back well from his second time facing hitters, he spoke up.

“I’ve had this so many times that I started to pick up it was probably that,” Kahnle said.

The Yankees’ projected bullpen appeared to be mostly set if everyone stayed healthy through spring training, but if Kahnle is not ready to break camp with the team, they have options. The opening could allow them to carry both Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt, with one as the fifth starter and the other as the long man in the bullpen.

They could also turn to right-hander Jimmy Cordero or left-hander Matt Krook, both on the 40-man roster, or non-roster invitees Ian Hamilton or Nick Ramirez, who have both caught the Yankees’ attention early.

Shortstop Oswald Peraza “tweaked” his lower left leg while stepping on first base during Thursday’s game in Bradenton, Boone said. Peraza then played Saturday against the Rays, but hasn’t played since. Boone expects him to play again on Thursday.

“He was better today,” Boone said. “I don’t expect it to be an issue.

German continued to look sharp in the competition for the fifth starter job, throwing three innings of one-hit ball with one walk and four strikeouts.

“One of the things I can pinpoint to is the intensity, the aggressiveness, executing pitches and attacking hitters,” German said of his outing. “It’s something I think I had a few years back and now, finding myself in a much better place, I feel more intense executing pitches out there.”

Former Yankee Miguel Andujar was back at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday, sporting a beard and starting in right field for the Pirates.