Robertson expects to be ready for opener

TAMPA, Fla. -- David Robertson said he believes he'll "easily" be ready for Opening Day.

The reliever, diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right foot late last week, shed the protective boot he wore through the weekend Monday and played catch standing up. It had been thought that he would first have to play catch from a chair before testing the foot standing up. "I felt pretty lucky I didn't feel any pain," Robertson said.

Joe Girardi said the next three or four days out of the boot are "important" in terms of Robertson's readiness for the season. "If that all goes well, I would think we'll have him Opening Day," Girardi said. "If it doesn't, you'd have to wonder."

Girardi said that when the Red Sox visit Steinbrenner Field Tuesday night, he doesn't plan to bring up Bobby Valentine's comments from a couple of weeks ago about Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. "As I told you that day, I worry about our club," he said. "I'm not worried about three years ago, a year ago, 10 years ago. I worry about now."

Kuroda strugglesHiroki Kuroda was not pleased with his second exhibition start after allowing two hits and two walks, though no runs, in three innings. "I didn't have all my stuff today," he said. "Nothing was really consistent. My two-seamer wasn't there and my cutter wasn't cutting."

All good with JobaJoba Chamberlain, recovering from Tommy John surgery, ended a 30-pitch bullpen session by throwing eight sliders with the catcher squatting on home plate. The plan is for Chamberlain to spin some sliders from the mound Friday with the catcher behind the plate.

Bad news for BurawaDan Burawa, a Rocky Point graduate who was impressive in his three scoreless appearances, tore an oblique and will have to rest at least a month before beginning rehab. He likely would have started the season with Double-A Trenton.