Dellin Betances helping Yankees bullpen with array of pitches

TORONTO — If Dellin Betances has to live with a fastball in the 92-94 mph range instead of nearing triple-digits, he will accept it and move on to other avenues to get hitters out.

In Betances’ first big-league appearance since last October, the alternate routes were pretty good against the two Blue Jays batters he faced in Sunday’s 6-4 loss at Rogers Centre.

Betances entered in the fourth and struck out Reese McGuire looking at a 94 mph fastball and Brandon Drury looking at an 84 mph breaking ball that locked the former Yankee’s knees.

Since Betances was told he was only going to face two hitters, he wrongly believed he was done and started off the mound thinking there were three outs instead of two.

“It was good, the breaking ball was good,’’ Betances said. “It’s nice to be back with the guys.’’

When fully healthy and fresh, Betances’ fastball routinely flirts with the 100 mph mark. There is a chance he won’t have enough time to get it there in the final two weeks of the season, but he is confident he can find other ways to be successful.

“A lot of guys have. I don’t see why I can’t,’’ Betances said Sunday morning about being able to pitch without a high-octane heater. “The breaking ball is good so I have to be able to change speeds and making sure the hitters are off balance. The arm strength is not where I want it to be, but it is better than it was earlier. I got two weeks to get it right.’’

Betances was activated from the injured list Sunday after missing 5 ½ months because of a right shoulder impingement and a lat injury.

If Betances is the same pitcher he was during the previous five seasons when he was considered by many to be the best reliever in baseball, the Yankees’ already solid bullpen would be getting a very big boost. But with 11 games remaining, there isn’t any way to tell what Betances will look like and what he could add to the October pitching staff until he gets into games. How he bounces back will be watched and he will eventually work in back-to-back games.

What was encouraging about his three minor league outings for Double-A Trenton was he saw progress.

“I got better each time,’’ Betances said. “The more I pitch, the better I’ll be.’’

Aaron Boone would like to add him to a pen that has AL saves leader Aroldis Chapman (37), Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle and Chad Green, but the Yankees must find out what Betances can offer.

“He has been as good of a reliever when you think back over the last several years,’’ Boone said of Betances, an All Star from 2014-17. “When he is going well he is as good as it gets. Hopefully, these final couple of weeks of the season he will get some significant outings, continued to get built up and hopefully be a big part of what we do moving forward in the month of October. These are an important couple of weeks for him.’’

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