Foot still a sore issue for Damon

According to George King, Johnny Damon's sore foot is still a source of concern.

"I hope not," Damon said when asked if the shelf was a possibility. "I don't know, but Sunday it was real bad. Toward the end of the game it wasn't good."

Damon, 34, first felt discomfort in the foot Sunday during batting practice, but with Hideki Matsui's left knee barking, Damon played through the 4-1 victory over the Reds at Yankee Stadium, going 0-for-4.

"I couldn't move," said Damon, who was third among AL batters with a .323 average, 10th in on-base percentage at .390, seventh in hitting with runners in scoring position at .351 and tops against right-handed pitchers with a .328 average prior to sitting out last night's 12-5 loss to the Pirates. "I had no chance swinging the bat or running out there at all."

Damon and Hideki Matsui (knee) are both out of the lineup for the second straight night.

Damon said he was going to test out his foot to see if he was good to go, but it's safe to assume that he's not good to go. It will be interesting to see if Damon or Matsui could be used as the designated hitter Friday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.