Phil Hughes, who was expected to be the No. 4 starter for the Yankees, might not be ready to start the regular season because of a bulging disk in his upper back.

"Is it in jeopardy, his starting? It's possible, yeah," Joe Girardi said. "I think it's too early to tell, though."

Girardi said that to be added to the rotation, Hughes would need to work his way up to being able to throw 75 pitches, which generally takes four or five starts.

He is still likely two weeks away from making his first start of the spring, which would put him at around March 12.

"He could probably get away with four starts," Girardi said. "So I think it's possible, yeah."

Added Hughes: "Every day is worrisome that I'm not throwing. But it's a double-edged sword. I don't want to push this thing and have it become a recurring issue, but at the same time, every day is a day lost, so I'm kind of in that in-between zone."