Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said his sore right knee is good and ready to go after he was kept out of Wednesday night's game against Tampa Bay for precautionary reasons. Rodriguez said he has "no concerns" about the knee limiting him with the ALDS beginning Friday night.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who is now suffering from pneumonia, last played on September 14. Mauer said he's sure there's nothing wrong with him more than the sickness that prematurely ended his injured-riddled season. He also insisted he would be on the field if doctors hadn't advised him to rest. "Guys throw their own two cents on it, but like I said, this is what I have. I have pneumonia, and I've got to deal with it. Just got to take care of it," Mauer said. He isn't ready to devise a revamped offseason workout plan until he gets over the pneumonia, but he'll be trying to find a better way to strengthen his legs.

If the Braves qualify for the postseason, they aren't ruling out the possibility that right-hander Jair Jurrjens could make an appearance. "There is a possibility," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I like to keep it open." Jurrjens created some optimism Saturday afternoon when he completed three pain-free innings in an instructional league game. Wearing a brace to support his right knee, the 25-year-old pitcher impressed the Braves by showing his normal velocity.

If the Braves make the playoffs and reach the NLCS, they could get right-hander Jair Jurrjens back on the mound. Jurrjens didn't have any problems with his knee during a 50-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. He is recovering from a bone bruise in his right knee and last pitched in a game Aug. 30. "It was good, comfortable," Jurrjens said. "The brace and the all the exercises that I've been doing, the exercises that the doctor gave me, seems like it's working." Jurrjens is scheduled to throw about 50 pitches in an Instructional League game Friday, and still isn't expected to rejoin the rotation until a potential second-round playoff series.

Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie has a broken right middle finger and will miss the remainder of the 2011 season. Lawrie, 21, was injured while fielding ground balls during batting practice before Toronto played the Angels on Wednesday night. He was hitting .293 with nine homers and 25 RBIs in 43 games.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has strongly indicated that the team will not have backup catcher Francisco Cervelli in the postseason. New York clinched a playoff appearance on Wednesday afternoon. Cervelli suffered a concussion as a result of a collision at home plate on Sept. 8 in Baltimore and he has not played since. "He's still experiencing symptoms so I'm not sure we're going to get him back," Girardi said.

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval might need surgery after the season to repair the left shoulder he strained last month. He suffered the injury was swinging a bat in Atlanta. Sandoval still cannot hit right-handed and did not start Tuesday night's game. "It's tough," manager Bruce Bochy said. "I talked to Pablo to see where he was, but he can't swing right-handed. I'm not going to lie: I was hoping he'd could go, but he can't." The medical staff probably will not rush into surgery. Bochy said the shoulder might be able to heal on its own, but nobody will know until Sandoval gets an extended rest.

Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes may miss his scheduled start on Wednesday afternoon because of pain associated with back spasms. Hughes first suffered the spasms after throwing a bullpen session last Friday. He was scratched from a start on Monday and manager Joe Girardi penciled Hughes in to start the first game of Wednesday's double-header. "I'm still going to have a little hope that he can (start Wednesday)," Girardi said. "We'll see how he feels in the morning and then go from there; we're just going to wait. If he can't start the first game, he can't start, and we'll figure it out." If Hughes can't go, rookie reliever Hector Noesi may get the call.

Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford will return to the lineup on Tuesday night after missing both games of Monday's double-header with a stiff neck. Crawford felt the tightness during while working in the batting cage on Monday morning. "Good enough to play," manager Terry Francona said. "Yesterday he couldn't move. I think he's sore but he's able to move. He just couldn't turn his head." Meanwhile, Kevin Youkilis has been dealing with bursitis in his hip along with a sports hernia. "We weren't going to do baseball activities for a while anyway, and we'll continue to try to do some of the core work and things like that," Francona said. "We'll check him later on this week, but he's pretty sore."

Marlins right-hander Josh Johnson threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Monday. His next step will be to face hitters on Thursday. "[It] felt good, felt weird, timing's a little bit off, but it's to be expected," Johnson said. "Just being out there and being able to throw on the mound, [it] doesn't matter what you're throwing as long as you're on the mound. It's always a good step." Johnson has been on the disabled list since May with an inflamed right shoulder. In nine starts this season, Johnson is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA. He last pitched on May 16, going five innings against the Mets. After facing hitters next Tuesday, Johnson will shut it down. "[I'm going to] go into offseason mode," he said. "Take about a couple weeks off and get back to what I was doing. It's not been easy, not been fun. You learn something from it, but it's not something you want to be a part of. Just try to find a way to get through it."