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ST. PETERSBURG Fla. — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole threw 29 pitches including breaking balls on Saturday in his third bullpen session since injuring his elbow in spring training.

Cole said he threw 13 curveballs and his fastball reached 89 mph in the workout before the Yankees played at Tampa Bay.

“Fastball profiles were good,” Cole said. “Location was good. Velocity was where we wanted. A lot of strikes.”

The right-hander is not sure how many more mound sessions he will have before facing hitters, but he said the plan is to simulate two innings in the next couple of outings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said outfielder Jasson Domínguez will be the designated hitter for the first of two weeks starting Tuesday or Wednesday for Single-A Tampa. The 21-year-old had four homers and seven RBIs in seven games last September before hurting his right elbow, which required Tommy John surgery.

Infielder DJ LeMahieu, out with a right foot injury, took live batting practice off injured right-hander JT Brubaker at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa.

Boone said LeMahieu will face pitching again on Tuesday and is nearing a rehab assignment.

Brubaker, acquired from Pittsburgh on March 30, sat out last season following Tommy John surgery. He was the Pirates’ opening day starter in 2022.

Reliever Tommy Kahnle, on the injured list with a hurt right shoulder, struck out one during a perfect inning in his second outing with Single-A Tampa. The righty is set to join Double-A Somerset on Tuesday.

Cole will remain in Tampa after the Yankees conclude their three-game series with the Rays on Sunday. His next mound session could be Tuesday.

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has been on the 60-day IL with right elbow inflammation. He is not expected to make his season debut until at least June.

The 33-year-old right-hander was shut down in mid-March due to nerve inflammation and edema in his pitching elbow. He had trouble bouncing back between starts.

“We’re making good process (there),” Cole said Saturday.

Cole is entering the fifth season of a $324 million, nine-year contract that pays $36 million annually. He has the right to opt out after the season and become a free agent, but if he opts out the Yankees can void the optout by adding a guaranteed $36 million salary for 2029.

Last season, Cole became the first Yankees player to win the Cy Young since Roger Clemens in 2001. He was 15-4 with an AL-best 2.63 ERA and finished with 222 strikeouts.

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NHLPA appeals Hartman’s 10-game suspension

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NHLPA appeals Hartman's 10-game suspension

NEW YORK — The NHL Players’ Association said Wednesday it has filed an appeal on Ryan Hartman‘s behalf after the Minnesota Wild forward was suspended for 10 games for roughing.

Hartman had 48 hours from the league’s ruling Monday night to decide whether to appeal the ban for slamming an opponent’s head to the ice with his right forearm, the longest for on-ice conduct in more than six years.

The initial appeal goes to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who has regularly sided with the Department of Player Safety and disciplinary decisions made by its vice president, George Parros. If Bettman upholds the suspension, Hartman has the right to appeal to a neutral arbitrator.

Hartman is forfeiting $487,805 in salary as part of his fifth career suspension and fourth since 2023. He would get more than $48,000 back for each game it is reduced by, if at all.

Washington‘s Tom Wilson recouped six games worth of salary when his 2018 suspension was reduced from 20 to 14 on appeal to an arbitrator jointly appointed by the league and union, even though he had already served 16.

Hartman, 30, was initially ejected with a match penalty for roughing Ottawa‘s Tim Stutzle late in the second period of the teams’ game Saturday night.

“Hartman contends that he is attempting to use his hand to regain his balance, using Stutzle for support and that their fall to the ice is accidental. We disagree,” Player Safety said in a video announcing the suspension. “With Stutzle bent low and focused on winning the draw, Hartman chooses to take advantage of a vulnerable player in an unacceptable fashion. Hartman intentionally uses his forearm and body weight to drive Stutzle’s head directly into the ice from a height, which makes this play inherently dangerous and unacceptable.”

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Crosby being evaluated for upper-body injury

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Crosby being evaluated for upper-body injury

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is being evaluated for an upper-body injury.

Crosby did not practice Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he got caught between a pair of New Jersey Devils in the third period of what became a 3-2 shootout loss.

The Penguins superstar missed several shifts in the third period after colliding with New Jersey’s Luke Hughes and Erik Haula. Crosby skated to the bench favoring his left arm/hand but returned after being examined in the locker room.

Crosby played the final minutes of regulation and overtime. He also participated in the shootout. Asked afterward about the injury, Crosby said he simply got “tangled up” and did not get into specifics.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan did not speculate on whether Crosby would miss any time, saying “let’s not get ahead of ourselves” when asked whether there’s a chance the team could be forced to play without Crosby.

The Penguins play the New York Rangers on Friday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Crosby, 37, is slated to serve as captain for Team Canada in the tournament.

The Canadians open play against Sweden on Feb. 12 in Montreal.

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Blackhawks activate forward Smith (back) off IR

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Blackhawks activate forward Smith (back) off IR

CHICAGO — The Blackhawks activated forward Craig Smith from injured reserve before Wednesday night’s game against Edmonton.

Smith had been sidelined by a nagging back injury. He was in the lineup against the Oilers, playing on a line with Lukas Reichel and Pat Maroon.

The 35-year-old Smith has six goals and five assists in 30 games in his first season with Chicago.

The Blackhawks also assigned defenseman Artyom Levshunov and forward Colton Dach to Rockford of the American Hockey League.

The 19-year-old Levshunov was brought up on Monday to give him a chance to practice with the team during the AHL’s All-Star break. The IceHogs’ next game is Friday night at Texas.

Levshunov was the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s NHL draft. He missed the start of the season because of a fractured right foot.

“We’ve had two good, spirited practices with a lot of pace and compete and that was a good learning experience for him to see,” interim Blackhawks coach Anders Sorensen said. “Talking to him, he was kind of baffled how quick it was at times but that’s good. That’s how you realize where you need to be.”

The 22-year-old Dach made his NHL debut on Jan. 3 against Montreal. The 6-foot-4 forward, a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, had one goal and three assists in 13 games with Chicago.

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