Brubaker (elbow) tossed three scoreless innings and struck out two in his first rehab start Wednesday with Single-A Tampa Bay. He gave up two hits and no walks.
Making his first appearance in affiliated ball since October 2022 following a prolonged recovery from Tommy John surgery, Brubaker exhibited few signs of rust Wednesday, albeit while matching up against a lineup of lower-level Cardinals prospects. Given that Brubaker handled three innings and 22 pitches in the rehab start, the Yankees are seemingly preparing to build him up as a rotation option once he returns from the 60-day injured list. At the moment, the Yankees don't have an opening in the rotation, and if little changes on that front over the next few weeks, Brubaker will likely be optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after he completes his rehab assignment.