Yankees reliever Kahnle refines a new pitch for 2024

TAMPA, Fla. – During his third simulated session, on a quiet Sunday, Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle worked on something of a new pitch to his arsenal.

Adding a reliable two-seam fastball to his heavy four-seam fastball-changeup mix is the idea.

“At the end of last year, I started throwing it,’’ Kahnle said of the two-seamer, a pitch he used to strike out Alex Verdugo to end a mid-September 2023 game at Fenway Park.

Now teammates, Kahnle asked Verdugo what he’d thought of that pitch, and the lefty hitter “didn’t even know what the hell it was, because I’d never thrown it before,’’ said Kahnle.

But it might take a couple of more weeks before Kahnle gets to throw that pitch in a real game.

Tommy Kahnle’s return timeline, progress on the two-seamer

Delayed this camp by the lingering effects of shoulder inflammation late last year, Kahnle is roughly two weeks behind.

As the Yankees gather at Houston for Thursday’s season opener against the Astros, the right-hander will remain at Tampa for one more simulated session before pitching in a minor league rehab game.

“Overall, I’m pleased,’’ said Kahnle, who threw 25 pitches, including five pitches in part of a simulated second inning.

“The big thing for me today was the two ups, to see how I’d handle it,’’ said Kahnle, whose arm strength is where it needs to be.

“Based off how I feel, the way it’s coming out of my hand, it feels good,’’ said Kahnle, who anticipates an uptick in velocity when he’s facing big league hitters for real.

“I think I just need to work on my focus a little more lately. Maybe it’s just the environment,’’ said Kahnle, at nearly empty Steinbrenner Field, with Yankees split squads playing at Mexico City and Bradenton.

“I would like to see my command a little better,’’ though some of those rough patches were related to refining the new two-seamer.

Ideally, Kahnle wants it to dart away from lefty hitters with an upshoot ride to it.

“I think I tend to baby it sometimes and that’s where I get more of a sinking effect than the ride,’’ said Kahnle, 34, entering the final season of a two-year,

$11.5 million contract.

Tommy Kahnle’s plus personality, Yankees’ 2024 bullpen composition

When he returns, Kahnle will join a bullpen that is slightly altered from 2023.

Both Michael King and Wandy Peralta are with the Padres, sent to San Diego in the Juan Soto trade.

“We definitely lost a little bit of personality with Wandy and King,’’ closer Clay Holmes said recently, though Kahnle’s over-the-top presence can make up for a lot.

This spring training, Kahnle has set a mini-basketball net above his locker, challenging teammates to shoot beyond the yellow lane he taped to the floor.

As the club’s guru on all sports, March Madness is Kahnle’s favorite time of the year.

“And when (North) Carolina’s doing well, it’s the best,’’ Kahnle said of his favorite college team.

Back to the bullpen, “the guys we’ve got are a real solid group – very focused,’’ Holmes said. “And the stuff is really good, all the way down the line.

“We all kind of feel that, we’re excited and know what we’re capable of,’’ said Holmes. “And it kind of pushes us to help each other and do the best we can.’’

Keeping top-notch setup man Jonathan Loaisiga healthy is a key, and the Yanks could have rehabbing right-handers Scott Effross (back) and Lou Trivino (elbow) by midseason.

During his time with the Dodgers, Kahnle got to know lefties Victor Gonzalez and Caleb Ferguson, traded from Los Angeles to the Yanks in separate winter deals.

“I like this group a lot, we all bring different things to the table,’’ said Kahnle. “I feel like every one of us could be a closer anywhere else in this league.’’

DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo working their way back

Anthony Rizzo (left lat tightness) could return to the Yankees’ exhibition lineup for Monday’s final Florida spring training game before Opening Day.

DJ LeMahieu (bruised right foot) doesn’t appear to be at Rizzo’s readiness stage yet, though LeMahieu ramped up his running and took on-field batting practice Sunday. It was LeMahieu’s first on-field BP since fouling a ball off his foot on March 16.

Rizzo tracked the bullpen pitches of Kahnle and Opening Day starter Nestor Cortes, and later fielded groundballs early Sunday at Steinbrenner Field.