Orlando Hernandez was sent back to New York after complaining of discomfort in his upper back and neck. Hernandez will be examined Thursday by the team's medical staff at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and GM Omar Minaya expects him to rejoin the club by Friday. When El Duque can pitch again, however, is unclear. Minaya described the move as a "preventative" measure but also acknowledged that Hernandez suffered from stiffness in that same area at one point last season. El Duque skipped two turns in the rotation at the end of August for what was termed as "fatigue" and Minaya flatly denied today that it was unrelated this neck issue.