Granderson in good spirits despite trip to DL

Curtis Granderson entered the clubhouse as if it were just another day in the Bronx, his typical cheery disposition unaffected by the extensive recovery that lies ahead.

The centerfielder was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday after suffering a Grade 2 left groin strain in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the White Sox. The injury could keep him sidelined for a month, manager Joe Girardi said.

"Don't hold me to it because everyone rehabs differently," Girardi said. "It's one thing if you're a DH that doesn't run extremely fast, but when you're a centerfielder, it's going to take some time. I hope it's less than that, but we'll see."

Granderson, however, appeared to be in good spirits, despite his very noticeable limp.

"Today, I woke up expecting to feel the same, but it feels better," said the centerfielder, whose left leg was not wrapped. "It just hurts a little bit."

Granderson said he felt "a grab" in his groin area after he stole second during Brett Gardner's sixth-inning at-bat Saturday and came up lame as he headed for third on Gardner's single to center.

"I had to create a better angle to go to third because he hit the ball to the outfield," Granderson said. "I had to get deep and when I did that, I ended up reaching for second. [There was] no pop, no snap, or anything like that."

Granderson said the sensation reminded him of a cramp, which led him to believe the injury wasn't too serious.

"I had people calling and saying they thought it was an ankle or a knee," he said. "Someone even said they thought it was an Achilles. If it were any of those, I wouldn't have been able to make it to third base."

Granderson even gave an impromptu demonstration of his mobility in front of his locker. "That's actually all right," he said, after moving his left leg away from his body without any discomfort.

When asked if there was swelling, he patted his upper thighs with both hands and said, "I don't think so," with a playful smile. However, he said making quick directional changes on the basepaths (i.e., in a rundown situation) or in the outfield would cause the most pain.

Girardi said the specifics of Granderson's rehab program have yet to be determined. In the meantime, hot-hitting Gardner, who is up to .342 and homered Sunday, will remain in centerfield and Marcus Thames, who started Sunday, will split time in left with Randy Winn.

"It's what we have, so that's what we'll go with," Girardi said. "If one of them gets extremely hot, you may see him play more."

Granderson, who missed a month of the 2008 season with a broken hand, said he's hoping to travel with the team to Detroit next week for a three-game set against his former club.

"Hopefully, I'll still get a chance to play," he said. "I had a lot of friends and family that were going to come to that game because it's not too far from Chicago. I was looking forward to it."