Girardi hopeful Jeter will return on time

CINCINNATI -- Joe Girardi said Monday that he hopes Derek Jeter, on the disabled list since June 14 with a right calf strain, will be able to "start some baseball activities in the next couple of days."

When asked if the expectation is that the shortstop will be able to return from the DL when he becomes eligible June 29, Girardi said, "I hope.''

Bartolo Colon, on the DL since June 12 with a strained left hamstring, hasn't started throwing, making it unlikely he'll return when he's eligible June 27.

"He hasn't done anything aggressively, so we'll have to just play it by ear," Girardi said. "Are we going to get him after 15 days? I can't tell you that. But if we are, he probably needs to start throwing pretty soon."

Switching it up

With Reds righthander Johnny Cueto a late scratch because of a stiff neck, Girardi sat red-hot Brett Gardner, 17-for-35 in his last 10 games, in favor of Andruw Jones against lefthander Travis Wood. "You look at the type of pitcher you're facing; I thought it was a good day for Andruw," Girardi said.

Wood, facing the Yankees for the first time, gave up four runs in the first inning. Jones had a two-out RBI single in the inning.

A-Rod's shoulder just sore

Girardi reiterated what he said after Sunday night's game, that the issue with Alex Rodriguez's left shoulder, which has been receiving heat treatment the last 10 days or so, is typical soreness.

"You could walk into that training room and there'd be 10 guys getting treatment," Girardi said. "It's part of being a ballplayer. You go in, you get treatment. Guys get ankles taped, it's preventative. There's a lot of things you have to do physically as a ballplayer to play every day."

Girardi said he "might" give A-Rod Wednesday's game off, which would be in line with how he's rested him this season and has nothing to do with the shoulder.

More for Hughes

Girardi was encouraged that Phil Hughes maintained his fastball velocity (91-93 mph with a high of 95 mph) in Sunday's rehab start, in which he threw 61 pitches in 41/3 innings for Class A Staten Island. But he will not be rushed back. He'll make another rehab start Friday, with a pitch count of 75. "We'll have him make at least two more starts, probably," Girardi said.

Extra bases

Rafael Soriano headed to Tampa to join the other Yankees rehabbing there, including Jeter, Colon and Pedro Feliciano . . . Joe Torre, whose wife, Ali, is from Cincinnati, was in the clubhouse before the game talking with Girardi, among others.