Sprained right thumb sidelines Soriano

BOSTON -- Alfonso Soriano was a late scratch from the Yankees' lineup with a sprained right thumb, the team announced Saturday.

Soriano was batting cleanup in manager Joe Girardi's original batting order against Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester. The change was announced shortly before the scheduled first pitch.

"To me, it's very tough to watch the game," said Soriano, who received treatment on his thumb during the Yankees' 5-1 loss at Fenway Park. "We lost, too, which makes it worse. There's nothing I can do about the game today, so I hope tomorrow we've got a better chance to win and play better."

Soriano said that he bent his thumb back while making a dive in the outfield on Thursday against the Orioles in Baltimore. He went 1-for-4 in the Yankees' 8-4 loss to the Red Sox on Friday, and Soriano said he may have aggravated the thumb by sliding head first into second base on a stolen base.

"My hand last night was feeling good," Soriano said. "This morning, my thumb is a little swollen. When I go to the cage, I'm not feeling good. I just talked to Joe and said my hand is a little swollen and I cannot go today."

Since joining the Yankees in a July 26 trade from the Cubs, Soriano leads the Majors with 15 homers and 47 RBIs over that span.

Vernon Wells replaced Soriano in left field, with Ichiro Suzuki, who was slated to begin the day on the bench, replacing Wells in right field. Girardi said that he is not sure if Soriano will be available for Sunday's series finale.

"The swelling is going down, I hope, and I'll be available to take my at-bats," Soriano said. "It's only like two weeks left. I just want to keep playing and try to help the team to win."