Yankees' Robertson has bone bruise

Published Mar. 9, 2012 9:56 a.m. ET

foxsports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Joe Girardi smiled. Turns out David Robertson's injury from his fall at home isn't serious.

Two days after Robertson got hurt, doctors determined Friday that the All-Star reliever has a bone bruise on his right foot. Robertson will wear a protective boot through Sunday, and the New York Yankees manager expects him to be ready for opening day on April 6.

After an initial X-ray and MRI on Thursday, doctors asked Robertson to return to a hospital for a CT scan and a weight-bearing X-ray. The pictures were sent to New York for review, to make sure there was no significant injury.

"With 19 tests, they ruled it all out, yes," Girardi said, exaggerating the figure.

"It's a huge relief," he said. "I got worried when they said there was a cause of concern, but obviously this is good news, and hopefully he'll be walking around here pretty good by sometime next week and we'll be able to get him back to playing catch and doing all that stuff. We'll probably have him play catch from a chair for a little bit, maybe."

Girardi said Robertson won't pitch in another exhibition game until the soreness is gone.

Earlier in the day, Robertson was smiling and laughing, an indication his injured right foot was feeling better and a second round of tests was only a precaution.

Robertson limped into the Yankees clubhouse, still using crutches and wearing a large protective boot on his right foot. He stumbled on the stairs of his St. Petersburg home on Wednesday night while carrying boxes for recycling, sustaining what the Yankees originally termed a mid-foot sprain.

"It's embarrassing," he said. "I'd rather be like, you know, I tripped over a chair in the clubhouse or something than tell you I fell down the stairs in my house. And not like a full flight of stairs -- just one stair."

Robertson listened intently as he was told how Tampa Bay pitcher David Price left a start early on Thursday after developing neck spasms while drying his neck with a towel between innings. Misery loves company.

"That's good news, right there," Robertson said playfully. "The best news I've heard."

As he awaited the test results, Robertson sounded relieved.

"I'm feeling better today," he said. "I'm hoping that it's just something that's just going to pass in a week or so and I'll be right back out there."