Cervelli's pain is Montero/Romine gain

TAMPA, Fla. - Francisco Cervelli's bad break could be the one that sends Jesus Montero to the big leagues.

Cervelli, who fouled a ball off his left foot Wednesday, will miss a minimum of four weeks with a fracture located just above the toes.

Cervelli, who has suffered injuries in spring training in three of the last four years, was in competition for the backup catching job with Montero, the Yankees' top prospect, and Austin Romine, another highly rated prospect. Unless general manager Brian Cashman brings in another catcher, one of the two will make the club out of spring training as Russell Martin's backup.

"We, thankfully, knock on wood, are catching-deep," Cashman said before Friday night's game against the Red Sox. "With Martin's addition and the developmental steps that Montero and Romine have taken, we're covered. It's one of our positions of strength, unlike most organizations."

Montero, 21, though feeling bad for Cervelli, knows what the injury means. "It changes a lot because I get an opportunity now," he said. "I don't want to wish anything bad on anybody. I wasn't wishing nothing bad to happen to him. It seems like I have a big opportunity to be on the team now. I'm going to do my best. I know Cervelli's a great catcher. He did a good job last year. Now I get an opportunity and I'm going to do something good with it."

The injury does not open the door for Jorge Posada to catch.

"We're still planning on him being a DH," Joe Girardi said. "I can't tell you 100 percent what's going to happen over the next four weeks, but right now, I don't plan on having him catch in a game. Let's see what the other guys can do."

Posada, who has been catching bullpen sessions, said he could be the emergency catcher, which Girardi and Cashman have said will be his role. Otherwise, "no one's said anything to me about catching," Posada said.

Montero, who hit .289 with 21 homers and 75 RBIs in Triple-A last season, still is dogged by questions about his defense, but just about everyone has seen improvement.

"I've been really pleased with what he's done," Girardi said. "I've watched him frame the ball, catch the ball; I've been really happy with that. I've watched him throw; I've been happy with that. This is something he wants, and you see him working like he wants it."

Cashman said Girardi and opposing scouts are seeing what the organization has always believed. "We always felt he was going to be a catcher. We have no doubt that he's going to be a catcher," Cashman said. "The same scouts who were saying 'No way' are now saying, 'You know what? Maybe' or 'Wow, he's come a long way.' We've felt he'd be there regardless."

Montero reported to camp in 2010 overweight and Posada, who worked with him then, has noticed a difference. "I see Montero growing a lot," he said. "I see him moving behind the plate real well this year. He has lost a little bit of weight and that has helped him."

He later said: "He's got the tools, he's got everything. The only thing he doesn't have is experience, but he's ready to go."

Romine, a defensive standout who hasn't played above Double-A, also has impressed Girardi and doesn't think the jump to the majors is a stretch. Cervelli did it two years ago and Girardi did it in 1989. Said Romine, "I'm still going to go out and play as hard as if I had no chance."