MINNEAPOLIS _ The Yankees' bullpen could be whole again soon.
Aaron Boone said injured closer Aroldis Chapman threw a side session Wednesday in Tampa and could be activated "hopefully sometime next week."
"Everything went really well," Boone said late Wednesday afternoon. "Hoping he'll throw another side this weekend, and then possibly a sim game right after that."
Chapman has been on the DL since Aug. 22 with left knee tendinitis, a condition the lefty has pitched with most of the season. Though the Yankees bullpen has done well for the most part without Chapman, who is 31-for-33 in save chances with a 2.11 ERA, his return will be a welcome one.
"When you add another guy of Chapman's capabilities to an already strong group," Boone said, "it just allows you to, in some cases, shorten the game even more."
