Baseball

The good news is that there's a chance he might not have to miss a turn after exiting Thursday's outing with a tight left trapezius muscle. Pettitte obviously dodged a serious injury bullet, but the Yanks could still play it cautiously and put him on the shelf for a couple weeks.

Youkilis has hit off a tee and taken soft-toss and is nearing the next step. The Yankees haven't set a timetable for his return, but it's looking like he'll probably be back sometime in late May or early June.

Since surrendering five earned runs over 6 2/3 innings in his first two starts, Kuroda is 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA, a .541 OPS against and a 27/8 K/BB rate over six starts and 44 innings. Kuroda is earning every penny of his $15 million salary and remains a must-start pitcher in all fantasy formats.

Stewart injured himself when he slid into third base awkwardly during Thursday's game. He didn't hear a pop, but it's still possible he could be sidelined for a while.

It's good to hear, though it remains unclear whether he'll be able to make his next start. It appears that the Yankees will not sent Pettitte for an MRI. More details about his status should be available on Friday.

The trapezius is located in the upper back/neck area. It's not clear at this point how severe the ailment is, but it seems likely that Pettitte will have to miss at least one start. Ivan Nova (triceps, side) would be an option to replace him in the rotation.

Stewart appeared to injure himself when he slid into third base awkwardly. An update on his status will be available soon.