Yankees' pitcher injures self falling down steps

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From Comcast SportsNet
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The New York Yankees took their first misstep of 2012 when All-Star setup man David Robertson sprained his right foot when he fell down stairs while moving boxes in his spring training home.An initial X-ray was negative, and the reliever was taken a hospital for an MRI Thursday. The accident occurred Wednesday night, and his foot started throbbing an hour or two later.He was put in a walking boot to make the foot more comfortable. Manager Joe Girardi said Robertson was limping from what he described as a mid-foot sprain that caused the pitcher to walk gingerly."I'm concerned," Girardi said. "It hurt him to walk, (and) you assume that he's going to be down a little bit of time even if everything comes back OK. Now that doesn't mean he wouldn't have time to get ready for the season. But you've got to start over a little bit."Girardi said if Robertson were sidelined for two weeks or less, he still could be ready for the Yankees' opener at Tampa Bay on April 6."If it's going to happen, let it happen now," he said.Robertson had been slated to make his second spring training appearance Thursday against Toronto at Dunedin. The 26-year-old was 4-0 with a 1.08 ERA in 70 games in 2011."Last year, he did a tremendous job," Mariano Rivera said. "So we're expecting something good out of him this year, also."If Robertson isn't ready for opening day, Rafael Soriano likely would move up to New York's eighth-inning pitcher.New York has bad memories of pitchers and injured feet. Chien-Ming Wang sprained his right foot while running the bases at Houston on June 15, 2008, and missed the rest of the season. Wang struggled to a 1-6 record with a 9.64 ERA when he returned the following year. He needed shoulder surgery that sidelined him until last July, when he came back to the major leagues with the Washington Nationals.Girardi said the injury occurred when Robertson missed a step."They were empty boxes. They weren't even heavy boxes," Girardi said. "I told him to kick them down the stairs the next time."Notes: Rivera threw 32 pitches in his second batting practice session. He likely will make his exhibition debut Sunday.

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