NEW YORK — A year after tearing his Achilles tendon on Yankee Stadium’s outfield grass, legendary closer Mariano Rivera made a triumphant return to Old-Timers’ Day.“Injuries are gonna happen, and I’m OK with that,” a smiling Rivera said Saturday, as his fellow retirees took batting practice behind him. “It was tough, it was tough. I still have to deal with it. I’m moving better, and I’m here. I’m good enough to be here.”It was this time last year that Rivera, now 56 years old, crumpled to the ground while trying to field a fly ball off the bat of Willie Randolph. He went to the hospital that day, and ultimately went on to have surgery to repair the injury.Players who participate in the game are required to sign liability waivers from the Yankees. The team jokingly announced on its social media platforms Saturday morning that it had “reinstated RHP/UTIL/HOF Mariano Rivera (#42) from the 364-day injured list.”“We are keeping an eye on him,” said Jorge Posada, Rivera’s longtime catcher. “We’re not putting him in center field. He says he’s gonna pitch. I don’t know, his arm looks good.”Do trade deadline deals lead to World Series rings?Joe CrisalliRivera, who is the game’s all-time leader with 652 career saves, spent his entire 19-year career with the Yankees. He was a 13-time All-Star, finished top five in American League Cy Young voting five times and was named World Series MVP in 1999. The five-time World Series champion became the first unanimous selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.Can George Lombard Jr. spark the Yankees' season?Brendan Kuty and Johnny SweetHe threw some batting practice prior to the start of the 78th Old Timers’ Day, looping in pitches to former teammate Hideki Matsui.