Niese (knee) made his spring training debut Monday, tossing a scoreless inning in a 13-1 loss to the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Niese signed on with the Yankees in the middle of February, but he'd still been recovering from knee surgery he underwent last August to repair a torn meniscus, so getting into a live game suggests he's nearing a return to full health. Now that he's gotten some game action under his belt, the lefty will look to prove himself the rest of spring training as he vies for a spot in New York's bullpen.