Bombers bits

• Left-hander CC Sabathia (right knee inflammation) was seen on Friday by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad, examining his progress. Sabathia is not expected to be ready for big league duty until July at the earliest.

"He is better and he's going to start some more movement," manager Joe Girardi said after Friday's 6-1 loss to the Twins. "They have all these fancy treadmills and things. I think he's going to start doing some of that."

• Brian Roberts was elevated to sixth in the Yankees' lineup on Friday, the second time he has hit in that slot this season. Roberts extended his hitting streak to six games with a single to lead off the second. In that stretch, he is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two doubles, a homer and two RBIs.

"Roberts has been swinging the bat. His at-bats have been really good," Girardi said before the game. "He's consistently hit the ball good, so we moved him up."

• On this date in 1956, Mickey Mantle slugged a home run off the Senators' Pedro Ramos that struck the upper-deck frieze in right field at Yankee Stadium, missing by mere inches from going completely out of the stadium.