MLB

Yankees’ Hughes has next start pushed back

Phil Hughes will have more time to figure out how to get out of his recent funk.

The right-hander, who pitched in Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Dodgers, could have pitched in tomorrow’s series opener versus Texas, but was pushed back to Thursday to keep Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte in their usual spots in the rotation.

“We’ve had so many off days here and we’re trying to keep everyone close to a regular turn,” manager Joe Girardi said. “There will be a couple of extra bullpens for him.”

So Kuroda will pitch tomorrow, followed by Pettitte Wednesday.

Hughes said he didn’t mind the added rest between starts.

“It gives me more of a chance to work on some things,” said Hughes, who threw one of those bullpen sessions before yesterday’s 3-1 loss to the Rays. “I’ve been looking at video from as far back as ’06 and ’07 and trying to get in a more powerful position when I’m out there so I can stay through the ball a little bit better.”

The right-hander has been inconsistent all season and if he doesn’t improve, he could find himself bumped from the rotation after Ivan Nova’s solid outing yesterday and Michael Pineda’s improved health.

Girardi didn’t say much about Hughes’ future.

“This is a game in which you have to prove yourself over and over,” he said.

Hughes will have to wait for his next opportunity.

Since his last outing, he also has noticed his arm has been dropping down, something else he’s looking to fix.

Yesterday’s session, he said, went well — but he’s not taking too much from it.

“I know it’s all about the games at this point,” Hughes said. “You have to get results.”

* Thomas Neal was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre yesterday to make room on the roster for Nova.

The right-handed hitting outfielder had been brought up to replace Ben Francisco, but like the veteran Francisco, Neal didn’t provide much offense after being brought up from the minors, where he had hit well.

* While much of the rest of the offense flails, Brett Gardner’s recent hot stretch continued. He went 3-for-4 and has hit in 24 of his last 29 games, batting .336 (38-for-113) in that stretch.

* Girardi said David Adams, who went 1-for-14 on the homestand, would continue to be given steady playing time at third. In fairness, there isn’t much of an alternative with Kevin Youkilis out.