MLB

Yankees remove Diaz from outfield mix

BRADENTON, Fla. — Matt Diaz’s stay with the Yankees was short, but his dismissal doesn’t mean the team is closing in on finalizing its roster.

“Maybe one piece is gone, but it’s still going to play out probably for the next two weeks,” manager Joe Girardi said after Diaz was sent packing. “We just thought the other guys were ahead of him and to be fair to him to have a chance to [play] somewhere else.”

The outfielder was cut yesterday, the victim of a cold bat and the recent additions of Brennan Boesch and Ben Francisco, who will compete for a spot in the outfield.

Boesch started in right field for the second consecutive day after arriving from Tigers camp and had two hits in the Yankees’ 11-9 victory over the Pirates yesterday at McKechnie Field.

* Until the Yankees know if Phil Hughes can return from his back injury in time to start of the season, Ivan Nova and David Phelps could both end up in the rotation for the first turn.

And like Phelps on Saturday, Nova pitched well in the early going yesterday before faltering in the fourth.

Nova said he’s still not completely comfortable with his new, shortened delivery and that may have resulted in him giving up four extra base hits in his five-inning outing.

“He was OK,” Girardi said. “He had a pretty good curveball.”

And the manager remained confident the tweaks Nova has been working on with pitching coach Larry Rothschild will pay off.

“Any time you make an adjustment, it takes some time to get used to,” Girardi said. “But the only way to get better in this game is to make adjustments.”

* Boone Logan’s arm feels fine when he’s pitching, but he’s still experiencing soreness.

“I feel it less and less every day,” Logan said. “My arm strength and velocity are better than they’ve been in a long time.”

With Clay Rapada (shoulder bursitis) also sidelined, the Yankees don’t have any experienced lefties ready to come out of the bullpen.

Girardi said having a southpaw won’t be a necessity to start the season, pointing to the ability of Mariano Rivera, David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain to get left-handed hitters out.