Brett Gardner afraid of 'strain' getting worse

Brett Gardner didn't sound encouraged about his injury.

"Hopefully we keep headed in the right direction and don't make it any worse," said Gardner, who didn't play in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Royals.

Gardner has missed two straight games with what he believes is a "lower abdominal strain," though no tests had been done as of Sunday morning.

Most concerning, from the Yankees' perspective, is Gardner's description of what he's feeling and the possibility of it getting aggravated if he plays too soon. "Not exactly sure what it is, but just the way it feels, it feels like it could [get worse]," he said. "I just don't know what to expect at this point."

Game must go on

Joe Girardi wasn't trying to sound cold, but he was realistic when asked how he will manage the team in Derek Jeter's absence starting in 2015.

"The same," Girardi said. "The thing that you get used to in this game is people come and go. As hard as it seems in the beginning, you get caught up in what you're doing. And all of a sudden you're in the middle of another year. He's going to be missed, there's no doubt about it, but the game will go on."

Jeter staying home

A popular question for Jeter has been what he'll be doing next season, to which he typically answers, "I have no plans."

One reporter who presumed Jeter will be with the team in some role next season was set straight on Sunday. "I will have no role next year," Jeter said with a smile. "I'll be home."

Weber up for challenge

Yankees coaching assistant Brett Weber is the man in the clubhouse suggesting to Girardi when to challenge calls via replay, and he's had a superb year. When Girardi was successful on a fourth-inning challenge -- a safe call at third was changed to an out on a double steal -- the Yankees improved to an MLB-best 21-for-26 (.808) this season on challenges.