Mesa, Neal brought up to boost Yanks' depth

BOSTON -- The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre shuttle delivered two more players to the Yankees' clubhouse on Saturday morning, as outfielders Melky Mesa and Thomas Neal joined the big league club at Fenway Park.

In corresponding roster moves, the Yankees placed outfielder Zoilo Almonte on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left ankle and designated infielder Alberto Gonzalez for assignment.

"We probably see Thomas more as maybe a DH against some left-handers, and Melky more as an outfielder against some of the guys," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We'll use them both, and [Brent] Lillibridge and [Luis] Cruz can play anywhere in the infield, so we're covered there."

Girardi said that Almonte is traveling to Tampa, Fla., and will have an MRI performed on his ankle there. Almonte injured his ankle stepping awkwardly on first base while trying to beat out a second-inning double-play ball in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Mesa, 26, was hitting .249 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 65 games at Triple-A. It is the second stint with the Yankees this year for Neal, 25, who was batting .314 with two homers and 29 RBIs in 66 Triple-A games.

When Mesa appears in a game, he will become the 46th different player to appear in a game this season for the Yankees, surpassing their total from all of last season.

"I'm pretty familiar with a lot of the guys, most of the guys; we've had a lot of them in Spring Training," Girardi said. "It's probably harder on the clubhouse guys."