NEW YORK -- Nomar Mazara, who was activated from the injured list on Sunday after a stint for a strained left oblique, was held out of the lineup for the second straight game on Wednesday.

“He was a little sore. ... After his first game, he was a little bit sore. So, we were planning on keeping him out yesterday, and obviously today, possibly tomorrow,” manager Chris Woodward said. “Just let it get back to feeling OK. You know, he said he felt fine going into the game, no pain or anything, but game swings are game swings, so that’s something we’ve got to keep an eye on. Because I don’t want him to have a setback, where it’s like a significant setback where he misses the rest of the year.”

Mazara is hitting .268 this season, which would be the highest average of his career. His .463 slugging percentage would also be a career high, and he’s three homers shy of his fourth straight season with exactly 20 home runs.

Monitoring Burke

Left-hander Brock Burke, who began his Major League career with three straight starts of six innings and no more than two runs allowed, is dealing with some soreness in between starts. He’s slated to pitch on Friday in Baltimore.

“He feels better today, but not great. ... If we pitch him and he’s iffy, weak, then we’ll limit the number of pitches or number of innings he throws,” Woodward said.

Burke was supposed to “throw something light” on Wednesday, according to Woodward.

“His pitch limit will be definitely lower. I just worry about fatigue,” Woodward said.

Burke dealt with a blister on his left hand and left shoulder injuries earlier in the year in the Minors.

Rangers beat

Joey Gallo, who is recovering from surgery to repair a broken right hamate bone, hit on Tuesday and Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

“[He’s] still sore, but it’s good to see him out there,” Woodward said.

The manager did not have an updated timeline for Gallo’s return.