DETROIT -- Yankees manager Aaron Boone isn't willing to speculate as to when third baseman Brandon Drury will rejoin his team.
But Boone made it clear on Friday that Drury, who continues to battle severe migraines and blurry vision, sounds like a completely different person since exiting last Friday's game.
"It sounded like he was upbeat and in a good place," Boone said prior to the Yankees' series opener in Detroit. "Like, maybe there's starting to be some answers to something that's been an issue for him for several years."
Acquired in a trade from the D-backs early in Spring Training, Drury left the 14-inning loss to the Orioles in the sixth inning due to impaired vision and a migraine. A day later he was placed on the 10-day disabled list.
Although Drury's early exit didn't seem serious at the time, the 25-year-old infielder acknowledged that it's an issue he's been dealing with for roughly six years.
"When I spoke with him today, compared to where he was when we left on the road trip, he sounded much, much better," Boone said. "Like a different guy."
Drury, who was prescribed anti-inflammatories to address his neck and head issues, underwent a series of tests at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center on Monday. The team is awaiting results of several exams, and Drury is expected to visit an ophthalmologist for a followup exam next week, Boone said.
"I felt like he was at least starting to scratch the surface on some answers, hopefully," Boone said. And hopefully, we'll continue to find out more in the coming days and he'll be ready to join us at some point soon."
As to exactly when Drury -- who is hitting .217 with one homer and four RBIs in eight games -- is expected to rejoin the team, Boone declined to offer a timeline.
"I don't feel like we have all the information yet," he said. "Hopefully the next couple days, it'll produce the answers or a plan that we want to put in place for him going forward, and how to treat certain things. If that's the case, and we get some results, then maybe it's on the shorter side. But at this point it's just speculation."
CC expected to start on Tuesday
Barring a setback after his bullpen session on Saturday, Carsten Sabathia will likely rejoin the rotation on Tuesday -- the first day he's eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list.
Sabathia, who was forced to exit his previous start last Friday due to a hip flexor strain, threw a 57-pitch bullpen session on Thursday and didn't experience any discomfort.
"All is going well," Boone said. "I'm excited to get the big fella back in our rotation."
Sabathia, who was placed on the DL last Saturday, didn't show signs of trouble with the hip early in his start on Friday, but he said he started feeling the soreness as he finished his warmup pitches in the third inning.
Other than an ankle injury that sidelined him briefly, the 37-year-old Sabathia avoided any health scares during Spring Training. Last season he spent time on the DL with a strained left hamstring and inflammation in his right knee.
If Sabathia is activated on Tuesday, he'll likely square off against Marlins left-hander Jarlin Garcia. Luis Cessa -- who will be making a spot start on Saturday -- will likely remain in the rotation for another turn if Sabathia remains sidelined.
Cortes back from Baltimore
The Orioles have returned Rule 5 selection Nestor Cortes Jr. to the Yankees, the team confirmed late Friday.
The left-hander has been assigned to Double-A Trenton.
Cortes, who claimed a spot on Baltimore's Opening Day roster, was designated for assignment on Tuesday, one day after he yielded a second grand slam within a week.
Cortes cleared waivers, and the Orioles received $50,000 in compensation from the Yankees to take back the rights to Cortes, who was not added to their 40-man roster.
Cortes, 23, compiled a 2.06 ERA with 105 strikeouts spanning 104 2/3 innings pitched over three Minor League systems last season.