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Pedro Feliciano hasn’t thrown a regular-season pitch for the Yankees since signing a two-year, $8 million deal prior to the 2011 season…but according to Newsday’s Erik Boland, that may change very, very soon.

Feliciano has been throwing batting practice sessions for the last two weeks in Tampa, and according to Boland, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the lefty may begin a rehab assignment “very soon” – perhaps as soon as Friday in the Gulf Coast League.

Once he begins a true rehab assignment, Feliciano has a 30-day clock before he must be activated, which means that barring a setback, he could join the Yankees active roster for the first time at some point in early September.

"He might become someone who's available to us," Cashman said. "We'll have to see."

Feliciano hasn’t pitched since 2010, when he made 92 appearances with the Mets. He then signed the two-year deal with the Yankees, but felt shoulder discomfort in Spring Training in 2011 and has been out ever since – finally having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and shoulder capsule last September.

The BP sessions are great progress, but given Feliciano’s history and recent Yankee happenings, Cashman also knows that he must be cautious in his optimism – using Brett Gardner’s 2012 season as an example as to why.

"We got Gardner all the way back to rehab games," Cashman said. "But when the games started, it didn't work out."

However, Joba Chamberlain, who worked out a little bit with Feliciano while he was also rehabbing and had his assignment successfully ended short of the 30-day window, and echoed the positive side of things.

"I saw him throw in the bullpen and he looked pretty damn good," Chamberlain said Tuesday night. "He's worked his (butt) off. I'm looking forward to seeing him up here."

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