Girardi defends cautious use of Robertson

NEW YORK -- David Robertson was unlikely to be available out of the bullpen on Friday night against the White Sox after pitching the previous two nights, manager Joe Girardi said, but closer Rafael Soriano would be available.

Robertson was part of a trio of relievers -- including Cody Eppley and Clay Rapada -- Girardi used in an attempt to navigate the ninth inning on Thursday against the White Sox with a two-run lead and no closer. Soriano had pitched four of the previous five days and was unavailable, and the bullpen blew the lead in a 4-3 loss.

Girardi planned to play matchups with the three pitchers, and had the inning gone according to plan, Robertson would have entered with two outs in the ninth. Girardi was cautious with the right-hander, who spent more than a month on the disabled list with a ribcage injury, and that contributed to his status on Friday.

"Not that he's shown any [signs] of being hurt, but I'm being a little cautious," Girardi said. "What did we miss him, a month? I don't want to miss him another six to eight weeks; I really don't. ... If it's a week to go in the season or a month, you're looking at a different scenario, but we have a long way to go."