ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- One chair away, Mike Myers cracked jokes. Alex Rodriguez walked across the clubhouse, broke through the crowd, and offered a bear hug and an "I love you, man." One thing was clear on Monday: The Yankees were glad Chien-Ming Wang was back.
The right-hander completed his return on Tuesday when he was officially activated from the disabled list prior to his start against Tampa Bay.
Wang had been mending a strained right hamstring, an injury sustained while running on March 23 and one that doctors guessed would sideline him anywhere from three to six weeks. Seeing Wang on the mound on Tuesday, then, was a best-case scenario for manager Joe Torre.
"We feel physically he's fine, and they say his stuff has been really good," Torre said. "You'll know in the first couple of innings, just by pitch count alone, how he's doing. Normally, he's probably the best on our ballclub in economics, throwing the fewest number of pitches.
"We feel good about it, and I know he's anxious to get back out there."
Wang won 19 games last season for the Yankees and posted a 3.63 ERA. He has made two rehab starts in the Minor Leagues this year but hasn't seen action with New York.
To make room for Wang on the roster, Kevin Thompson was sent to Triple-A Scranton. The right fielder hit .250 with New York. Both hits were doubles, and he also drove in two runs.
"It probably wouldn't hurt [Thompson] to get at-bats," Torre said. "He was filling a gap for us, and he did a good job. He had a lot of tools. Again, he just needs to go play. He's a phone call away if we [need him]."
You're kidding, right? Yet another injury presented itself to the already-afflicted catching corps on Tuesday. Bullpen backstop Mike Borzello suffered what is believed to be a broken middle finger on his catching hand while working a session with injured starter Mike Mussina.
X-rays were taken, but the results were not available before the game.
This is the third injury to Yankees catchers. On Friday, starter Jorge Posada bruised his left thumb while catching Andy Pettitte. The injury forced him to miss two starts. On Sunday, backup catcher Wil Nieves dislocated the same thumb, but trainers were able to put it back into place, allowing him to catch through the eighth inning.
"There's a certain test we have to go through for this," Torre said. "Chances are, if it's broken, we'll just have to use more tape."
In other news: Mussina threw a bullpen session on Monday and will pitch for Double-A Trenton on Friday as a final tune-up prior to rejoining the Yankees in Texas. "I think I'll be fine," Mussina said. "It feels fine, considering it was only [13] days ago." ... Relievers Scott Proctor and Jose Vizcaino were given a day off in the bullpen.
Up next: New York returns to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, where the Yankees play host to Toronto for two games. Pettitte (1-0. 1.78 ERA) will make his fourth start (sixth appearance) for New York. The Blue Jays will counter with righty A.J. Burnett (1-1, 5.57). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
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