MLB

Ellsbury weathers full workout; Soriano ‘not injured’

BRADENTON, Fla. — Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury went through a full workout at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday in Tampa with the players who didn’t make the trip for the Yankees’ game against the Pirates.

Ellsbury played in minor league games Tuesday and Wednesday, worked out Thursday and will play in games Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game has been moved from 1 p.m. to 10 a.m. because of rain predicted in the afternoon.

In order to keep the option of backdating Ellsbury to March 21 if he has to go on the disabled list, he likely will play in another minor league game Saturday. If he were to get hurt in a major league game Ellsbury couldn’t be backdated.

Ellsbury hasn’t played in a big league game since March 14.

Ellsbury took batting practice, ran the bases and shagged balls in center field during batting practice. He said everything went well.


The tightness in Alfonso Soriano’s right shoulder that he said Tuesday had been there for five days isn’t being considered an injury by Joe Girardi.

“That is not an injury. That’s a maintenance program he has had all last year and the year before,’’ said Girardi, who played Soriano in right field Tuesday night, used him as the designated hitter Wednesday and gave him Thursday off. “There are a lot of guys you are going to see have those maintenance programs. Some of it has to do with years in the big leagues.’’


Last year, Preston Claiborne surfaced in early May and it wasn’t long before Girardi started using the right-hander ahead of Joba Chamberlain.

Despite a late-season fade, Claiborne was expected to make the team this year as a middle reliever after appearing in 44 games. However, a horrid spring training cost the 26-year-old a roster spot.

“With what he did last year we thought he had a really good chance to be in our bullpen,’’ Girardi said after Claiborne was reassigned to the minor leagues. “He never really got on a roll in spring training. We told him he is capable of pitching much better than he did and just go get ready.’’

According to Girardi, Claiborne didn’t need to look at the awful numbers to know he was bad.

“I don’t think anyone takes the news well,’’ Girardi said. “He understood he wasn’t throwing the ball the way he is capable of but very determined to go fix that.’’

Claiborne was rocked for six runs and four hits Wednesday by the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., but the decision was made prior to that spanking.

“[Before Wednesday] he hadn’t thrown the ball the way like we have seen him throw,’’ Girardi said.

Claiborne finished the spring with a 14.31 ERA in seven games.

Girardi said the final two spots in the bullpen will be decided, but possibly not announced, on Friday.

With David Robertson, Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton, David Phelps and Adam Warren set, there are two spots remaining.

Lefties Cesar Cabral and Vidal Nuno are in the mix, and if Dellin Betances doesn’t snag one spot, it will be a shock.

“I don’t think there is anything new we learned about him. He has a pretty good arm and a pretty good slider,’’ Girardi said of Cabral. “He came up and got some outs last year. He is a young man who obviously had a setback in his career [2012 elbow surgery] and had to work hard to get back and he is back.’’

Betances worked a scoreless inning Thursday in Bradenton and pushed the speed guns to 97 mph. In 10 games, the Grand Street Campus High School (Brooklyn) product worked 12 ¹/₃ innings, allowed one run (0.73 ERA), gave up five hits and whiffed 11.


With Brendan Ryan opening the season on the DL with a neck issue there are two infield spots open with Eduardo Nunez, Dee Anna and Yangervis Solarte in the hunt.

“I would always be disappointed. I worked hard to make the team,’’ said Nunez, who has been used at shortstop, third and second. “I would be real disappointed.’’

Anna, who like Nunez is on the 40-man roster, didn’t expect to be anything more than camp fodder.

“I worked hard all offseason. I didn’t come to my first big league camp and expect to get cut [early],’’ said Anna, who was acquired from the Padres in November. “It’s nice to be at the end fighting for a job.’’

Solarte, who is in camp on a minor league deal, can play short, second, third and left field, and hit .415 in 23 games.

“I feel pretty satisfied with what I have done but that stuff I can’t control,’’ Solarte said of the decision-makers. “I leave that to the Yankees.’’

Texas, from where Solarte came, is looking for infield help and he could land there if he doesn’t stick with the Yankees.