TAMPA — David Robertson, the Yankees’ all-important setup man to Mariano Rivera, is out with a sprained right mid-foot.
Robertson was moving empty boxes at his house in the St. Petersburg area Wednesday night, took a misstep and fell while walking downstairs, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi. X-rays taken this morning were negative.
Robertson underwent an MRI exam and CT scan Thursday and was taken on a golf cart into the Yankees clubhouse to receive treatment. Robertson returned to the complex around 11:30 a.m. wearing a walking boot and on crutches.
“The big news is David Robertson fell down some stairs yesterday moving some boxes and hurt his foot,” Girardi said. “I’m concerned by the way I saw him walking today; it hurt him to walk. You assume he is going to be down a little bit of time even if everything comes back ok.”
The big concern would be if it were a Lisfranc injury.
“Yeah, everyone is going to assume Lisfranc,” Girardi said. “Obviously you have to be concerned about it. There was no swelling, that’s a positive sign to me, but who knows?
“He was moving some boxes and he missed a step,” Girardi explained. “They were empty boxes; they weren’t even heavy boxes. I told him, kick them down the stairs the next time.'”
After a 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays, Girardi addressed the situation again.
“I’m not so sure that he’s going to miss enough time that we won’t have him opening day,” he said. “I mean until we get the test results, I’m not going to know.”
Results will be sent to New York to be evaluated by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. The Yankees said Ahmad will consult with Dr. Justin Greisberg, whose specialties include orthopedic surgery and foot trauma
Robertson said, “The accident occured as I took two empty boxes out to a recycling area.
“I just misjudged a step and kind of rolled over it and instead of falling real hard, I just kind of collapsed my whole body and tried to keep it off my foot.
“My wife [Erin] was like, ‘What are you doing down there?’ She saw me laying there, holding my foot. I was like, ‘I fell.'” She was like, ‘Are you serious?'”
The right-hander, who will be 27 on April 9, was slated to pitch Thursday for the Yankees against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Last season, Robertson went 4-0 with one save and a 1.08 ERA.
With AP
george.king@nypost.com