TRENTON, N.J. ? In his final tuneup before returning to the New York Yankees, Jose Contreras pronounced himself pain-free while pitching Sunday for the Double-A Trenton Thunder against the Bowie Baysox.

Contreras allowed a double and two walks in 12/3 innings before reaching his pitch count of 35.

Contreras, who was sent to the minors in April after struggling with control problems, pitched in Trenton as a precautionary measure after feeling pain in his shoulder during a strong stint with Triple-A Columbus.

According to Gordon Blakeley, the Yankees’ senior vice president of baseball operations, Contreras likely will be recalled Tuesday and be in the bullpen for the Yankees game in Boston.

“We just wanted to make sure he was healthy because he started in Ottawa on a cold night last Friday (May 9), and the next day he complained of some soreness in the tricep,” Blakeley said. “So instead of recalling him, we thought we would wait. During the week it kept getting better and better, so he threw bullpen here on Friday and we decided he would pitch just 35 pitches to make sure he was OK.”

In the first, Contreras got two quick outs on a popup and a strikeout, then walked two straight before getting a strikeout. In the second, he allowed a double before coming out.

Of his 35 pitches, 16 were for strikes. He struck out three of the eight batters he faced.

“Physically, I felt great,” Contreras said through an interpreter. “I didn’t feel any aches or bothers, but that’s what I expected because I had done a bullpen session two days ago and that went well.”

Contreras said his shoulder was his main concern, and he was not as worried about the location of his pitches.

“It had been nine days since I pitched against hitters and the most important thing was to feel healthy and be strong,” Contreras said “As far as the location or control goes, I’ll work on that in the bullpen the next couple days and I’ll be fine.”