Remnants of flu keep Soriano on the bench

TAMPA, Fla. -- Alfonso Soriano's spring debut will be delayed until early next week as he continues to recover from a nasty bout with the flu.

Soriano had been scheduled to play on Sunday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., but was scratched after telling the trainers that he still feels dizzy and weak.

"I want to play some games," Soriano said. "There's a lot of games left, but this is the right time to play these games. It doesn't matter if you're not feeling good at home plate; at least I'd see some pitching to get my timing right."

Soriano took batting practice all last week, and said he would probably be able to play if this were the regular season. The Yankees put him through a full workout on Saturday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

"He did a lot [on Saturday]. I kind of want to see how he feels [on Monday]," manager Joe Girardi said.