Yankees relievers Zack Britton, Wandy Peralta headed for injured list

BOSTON — The Yankees' bullpen took two hits Saturday afternoon: Zack Britton and Wandy Peralta are headed to the injured list.

Britton, who left Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Red Sox after throwing a pitch to the second batter he faced in the eighth inning, is experiencing a hamstring issue. The Yankees hope to get more clarity about the problem Monday when the lefthander undergoes an MRI in New York.

Peralta has been experiencing some back discomfort, Aaron Boone said Saturday while making both announcements.

The Yankees do not expect either stint to be a long one (the players have to be on the IL a minimum of 10 days), and they were encouraged by how both players felt Saturday. That was especially the case with Britton, a potentially positive sign given how hobbled the reliever seemed to be while walking off the field in pain the night before.

"I don’t have a time frame yet because the MRI will show us a lot more," general manager Brian Cashman said of Britton before Saturday night’s game. "Seems like today was a better day than maybe I would have expected, but I don’t want to mislead anybody, either. It didn’t look good yesterday, so that was real. Today, although he was doing some functional stuff — stretching and [stuff] — and it looked good, that’s not [the same as] playing. We’ll get a feel for time frame when we get that MRI Monday."

Britton, who was activated June 13 after spending the first part of the season on the IL while recovering from mid-March surgery to remove a bone chip in his elbow, has a 4.15 ERA in five appearances. Peralta, acquired as part of a deal that sent Mike Tauchman to the Giants on April 27, had a 5.28 ERA in 20 appearances with the Yankees.

As corresponding roster moves, the Yankees recalled righties Albert Abreu and Brooks Kriske.

Deadline speculation

Cashman said he and assistant GM Mike Fishman have been in touch with every club in the majors regarding the July 30 trade deadline. Cashman, who has been vocal in saying centerfielder and the rotation are the areas he most wants to improve, said it is too early to determine the prices in the marketplace.

The wild card? The impact of this year’s draft on this year’s deadline. The draft typically has been held in June and, customarily, little generally would happen in terms of trades until after it took place. That likely won’t be the case this year as the draft will be held July 11-13.

"That’s the curiosity," Cashman said. "We’ve had a lot of conversations, but I wouldn’t say there’s any momentum. I don’t get a sense that there’s a feeling of action right now from the industry. Doesn’t mean people can’t make a deal or won’t make a deal, but it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of heavy activity ready to burst."

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.