No in-season contract talks with Cashman

Sticking with company policy, Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said he will not address general manager Brian Cashman's contract until the end of the season.

"We've got a whole year to get through," Steinbrenner said when reached outside Major League Baseball offices in Manhattan Thursday. "We're going to sit down at the end of the year the way we do with any contract and talk about everything and look at the entire performance, not just one year."

Cashman said he has no problem with Steinbrenner's comments, adding that he was responsible for the policy to which Steinbrenner adhered.

"No reaction. That's our policy, and I'm the one that put that policy in place," Cashman said by telephone.

Would he feel better with some sort of endorsement? "Nope. Not at all," he said. "The only thing that helps with contracts is winning games."

Cano OK and homers

One day after getting hit in the right side of his batting helmet by Royals reliever Nate Adcock, Robinson Cano returned to the lineup after several tests cleared him to play and hit a solo homer in the fifth.

"Never felt dizzy or anything like that. I was good the whole time," Cano said before the game. "I got hit pretty bad. It hurt, but it was nothing serious."

Extra bases

Rafael Soriano, who has a sore pitching elbow, played catch and felt good, according to a team spokesman . . . According to a recent diagnosis, Eric Chavez suffered a bone bruise in his left foot, not a fracture on May 5, as originally announced. Chavez hopes to play in two to three weeks . . . The Yankees called up Amaury Sanit, who relieved Ivan Nova in the fourth last night. Ramiro Peña was sent to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Jess Todd was designated for assignment.