Problem at catcher? Posada, Cervelli have minor injuries

DUNEDIN, Fla. - After a spring training relatively free of injuries, the Yankees learned of two Thursday, both of which they consider minor.

Jorge Posada, who made the trip, was a late scratch against the Blue Jays because of a "stiff neck," manager Joe Girardi said.

It is not thought to be serious, but that news, coupled with Girardi's disclosure earlier in the morning that Francisco Cervelli had a Grade 1 hamstring strain, suddenly gave the appearance of a shaky situation at catcher three days before the season opener.

"It was tough hitting righthanded," Posada said as he exited Dunedin Stadium. "In a day or so it should be all right."

Girardi said he's not concerned about Posada long term, but "short term you want to get rid of it as soon as you can."

Addressing Cervelli's hamstring problem earlier in the day, Girardi said, "Right now, if I was to guess, he is not a DL guy."

He added: "But we're not going to play him the rest of spring training."

P.J. Pilittere caught Thursday and, because of Posada's neck, the Yankees fetched Jose Gil from minor-league camp.

"It's tenuous in every major- league camp with catching," general manager Brian Cashman said by phone. "We're in the dog days of camp and we're just going to go about it with caution."

Cashman said he couldn't rule out having to put Cervelli on the DL, but because Grade 1 is such a mild strain, he doesn't think it's likely.

Mike Rivera is the Yankees' third catcher and has dealt with his own hamstring issue.

"If we have to adjust, we'll adjust," Cashman said of a potential roster move. "But everyone's belief is let's just overreact to it [and sit him]."

Teixeira just fine

Mark Teixeira, playing his first game since getting hit with a pitch on the right elbow Monday, had two hits off Blue Jays starter Brian Tallet.

"It feels really good now," said Teixeira, who will wear a protective sleeve until the soreness dissipates completely.

Extra bases

A.J. Burnett allowed two runs and five hits in 42/3 innings in the 5-2 win over Toronto, his final outing before facing Boston on Tuesday. "I thought that was the best he's looked," Girardi said.

Said Burnett: "That was a good tuneup." . . . Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless sixth and has not given up a run in seven innings . . . David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain each pitched a scoreless inning.