Elbow injury interrupts Cervelli's progress

MINNEAPOLIS -- Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli will be shut down for two weeks and is now not expected to return until August due to a stress reaction in his right elbow.

On Wednesday in New York, Cervelli underwent an MRI exam that revealed the injury. A stress reaction generally indicates that a fracture is possible, and rest is the recommended course of action.

"It's an old stress reaction, they believe, and we had to shut him down two weeks," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "This just happened the other day. It's not what we want, but we're dealing with it."

Cervelli had been catching simulated games and taking batting practice at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla., as he worked to return from a fractured right hand sustained on a foul tip in late April.

He has played in just 17 games this season, batting .269 with three homers and eight RBIs. In Cervelli's absence, the Yankees have utilized a catching tandem of Chris Stewart and rookie Austin Romine.

"They've done a pretty good job," Girardi said. "We talk about the first thing is handling our staff, and I think they've done a pretty good job handling our staff. We'll just keep going with the guys that we have."