Yankee Notes: Gardner Is Fine, Jeter Returns Monday

X-Rays on Gardner's right hand come back negative:

Just a couple days after the New York Yankees placed utility man Jayson Nix on the DL for possibly the remainder of the season due to a fractured left hand, the team was given some good news on Saturday regarding Brett Gardner.

Gardner underwent x-rays Saturday morning on his right hand following Friday night's 7-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in which Gardner was hit on the right hand by a pitch from Rays right-hander Chris Archer. Luckily for Gardy and the Yankees, the x-rays came back negative.

After the game, Gardner's hand had swelled up a little bit, but it was nothing that worried Gardner. The Yankees had him undergo the x-rays anyway.

"When it got hit initially, it hurt, but afterwards, it was going well," said Gardner, who tripled in his next at-bat off Archer. "I knew it wasn't broken, so I wasn't concerned about it."

Celebrating his 30th birthday on Saturday, Gardner was held out of the Yankees starting lineup against Rays left-hander David Price, whom Gardner was 2-for-14 (.143).

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that Gardner's hand had nothing to do with his benching, citing his poor numbers against Price, and also said the Gardner would likely be available to pinch-hit.

Girardi confirms Jeter will return Monday:

After the Yankees finish up their three-game series in Tampa on Sunday, they'll head north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays -- who the Yanks are 12-1 against in 2013 -- and when they get there, they'll be joined by their captain.

Girardi confirmed before Saturday night's game what many had been reporting Friday night, that shortstop Derek Jeter will rejoin the Yankees in Toronto on Monday.

Jeter began a rehab assignment in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, then played again for the RailRiders on Friday, and will finish up his minor league stint on Saturday with seven innings at shortstop before traveling to Toronto.

"That's the plan," Girardi said. "As long as everything goes OK [on Saturday, Sunday] is probably just a little workout."

Entering play on Saturday, Jeter was 2-for-6 with an RBI, two runs scored, a double, and a walk in two games. Jeter has played in just five games this season for the Bombers in what has been an injury plagued season, missing time with a broken left ankle, right quadriceps strain, and currently coming off a right calf strain.

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