NEW YORK -- Brett Gardner was scratched from the Yankees' lineup on Wednesday with a stiff neck, which the outfielder believes is related to a tumble into the stands while making a catch against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre last Thursday.
"I feel a lot better now than I did earlier in the day," Gardner said after the Yankees' 5-2 loss to the Athletics. "I got a lot of work done today. Got a lot of treatment, spent a lot of time in the training room, saw the chiropractor. Did some different stuff like that and got loosened up, so I felt a lot better toward the end of the day."
Manager Joe Girardi said that Gardner has been sore since he slammed his head on a concrete walkway while retiring Toronto's Ryan Goins on a third-inning popup in a 4-2 Yankees loss.
The injury may have been aggravated on the basepaths or in the outfield this week, Girardi said. Gardner said that he expects to play in Thursday's series finale.
Gardner has been one of the more consistent Yankees hitters during their offensive funk, batting .308 (12-for-39) with a home run, two RBIs and two stolen bases in 11 games.