Posada returns to Yankees' lineup as DH

CLEVELAND - Jorge Posada was back in the lineup, though at designated hitter, a day after he was a late scratch with soreness behind his left knee.

Posada said the pain stems from a cyst in that area that he first felt in 2006, the result, he said, of years of "wear and tear" from squatting and standing.

"It has been there for a while," said Posada, who turns 39 next month. "Catchers get that. Just one of those things you have to take care of."

It is nothing that needs to be removed.

"They haven't done anything," Posada said. "You deal with it. But we'll see after the year is over."

Posada, who hopes to be back behind the plate Thursday night, said the soreness "comes and goes" and that he's been feeling it for about a week. It's something that only affects his ability to squat, not to hit.

"You just have to keep treating it," he said.

Moseley gets start

RHP Dustin Moseley, signed by the Yankees in February, starts his first game since last April 17 - when he was with the Angels - Thursday night.

"I just see it as an opportunity to be able to help this team," Moseley said.

Moseley has undergone two surgeries in the last two years - on his arm in 2008 and on his hip, the same kind Alex Rodriguez underwent, last August.

Trainer's room

RHP Alfredo Aceves (strained lower back) will throw another bullpen either Thursday or Friday and, if that session goes well, he could be ready to take the next step in his rehabilitation, likely meaning throwing to hitters.

Manager Joe Girardi said LHP Damaso Marte (shoulder inflammation), who played catch again Wednesday, was not yet ready to throw in the bullpen.