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          New York Yankees

          Notes: Warren commissioned to start opener

          • Wallace Matthews, ESPN Staff WriterMar 1, 2015, 05:04 PM ET
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              Wallace Matthews has covered New York sports since 1983 as a reporter, columnist, radio host and TV commentator. He covers the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com after working for Newsday, the New York Post, the New York Sun and ESPN New York 98.7 FM.
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          TAMPA, Fla. -- As reported by ESPN Deportes’ Marly Rivera on Friday, Adam Warren will be the first Yankees starter of the spring, getting the ball in the Grapefruit League opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday in Clearwater.

          Warren, who is likely to end up in the bullpen, will be followed by Nathan Eovaldi, the likely No. 4 starter, as starter of Wednesday's game against the Phillies at home. Esmil Rogers, a relief pitcher by trade, gets the start on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton.

          All three are expected to go two innings or between 30 and 35 pitches, whichever comes first. Warren will be relieved by high-level prospect Luis Severino and later, by Jacob Lindrgen. The Yankees will get their first look at Andrew Miller, a candidate along with Dellin Betances for the closer’s job, on Wednesday.

          The rest of the Yankees’ starting staff -- CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Chris Capuano, and eventually, Masahiro Tanaka -- will likely not see action until next week.

          When’s the next Tanaka-palooza?: No one seems to know, not even the manager. Tanaka, who is attempting to pitch with a partially-torn UCL this year, has thrown bullpens less frequently than the other starters and has yet to throw live batting practice. Girardi has said Tanaka is “on schedule,” but clearly, his schedule is different from everyone else’s. Asked when Tanaka would throw next, Girardi professed not to know. “I’ve got 34 pitchers in camp to keep track of,” he said. “I can’t tell you what each of them is doing on any given day.”

          Joe likes Mike: Girardi said he was impressed by Pineda’s early morning live BP session.

          “I was pretty excited what I saw today,” Girardi said. “He was really, really good. You get excited when you think about sending him out there every day and getting 30 to 32 starts from him, what he could possibly do for your team.”

          Girardi said Pineda had good command of all three of his pitches -- fastball, slider, changeup -- and “threw a ton of strikes.”

          But he acknowledged the Yankees will remain cautious with Pineda for two reasons: The serious shoulder surgery he had to repair a labrum tear in 2012, and the fact that he has thrown just 76 1/3 innings over the past three seasons and never more than 171 in any season, his rookie season with Seattle.

          Starting for both teams, Iron Mike: The Yankees’ intrasquad game on Monday will feature no pitchers, just a pitching machine set up in front of the mound. Girardi said he anticipated most of his regulars would see action, although he could not guarantee we will see Alex Rodriguez just yet. As for hitting against a machine, Girardi said, “For the most part, that’s probably how they would like it anyway. You don’t like facing your own hitters. I don’t care who you are. You just don’t.”

          The Yankee pitchers will not have the day off, however. A bunch of them will throw live batting practice on the field before the intrasquad game.