New York Yankees: Outfielder Rondell White will not hit or throw for at least 10 days because of a strained left rib cage.

"It's probably going to be a 10-day period before we're on a day-to-day basis," Yankees manager Joe Torre said Wednesday. "Hopefully, it will responded to treatment. We anticipate Rondell White will be ready for opening day."

White was hurt swinging a bat Tuesday in an indoor cage.

"Guess I tried to swing to hard," White said. "It's nothing major. I'll be out there in a couple weeks and will be ready for the season."

White signed a $10 million, two-year contract during the offseason. He has been on the disabled list eight times during his major league career.

"It's not as bad as yesterday, but it's sore," White said. "It's always frustrating."

White played in 95 games for the Chicago Cubs last year, hitting .307 with 17 homers and 50 RBI.

"I need to stay positive, and come back strong," White said.

Giambi improving: First baseman Jason Giambi reported his injured left hamstring was better Tuesday.

Giambi took part in pregame drills, but missed his second straight intrasquad game. Manager Joe Torre said Giambi should play in an exhibition game either Friday or Saturday.

"It feels a lot better today," Giambi said. "I'm trying to be on the safe side and not overdo it. We just want to keep it getting better."

Giambi worked out at first base and also put on an impressive display during batting practice. He hit four consecutive homers off instructor Mick Kelleher.

"I want to get my work in," Giambi said. "You do what you can to keep it going forward."

Chicago Cubs: Left fielder Moises Alou, who has a long history of injuries and trips to the disabled list, has a sore side and won't be taking batting practice until manager Don Baylor is convinced it won't become a problem.

"I don't want him to aggravate that," Baylor said.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly says there's no front-runner yet for the starting third baseman's job with Matt Williams sidelined indefinitely.

"We can't really name anybody, a front-runner at this point," Brenly said Tuesday. "We'll just see how camp progresses and hopefully, somebody will take command of the position."

Williams underwent surgery Monday night to repair a broken left leg and dislocated left ankle. Doctors said he also damaged ligaments in the leg.

Williams was fielding ground balls on a side field at the Tucson Electric Park complex Monday when he rolled his ankle.

"There is really no timetable (for Williams' return) but it is going to take awhile," said Brenly, adding there will be at least 12 weeks of recovery time.

Danny Klassen, Greg Colbrunn and Jay Bell all took grounders at third base Tuesday.

Seattle Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki won a home run contest Sunday ... and he wasn't even supposed to enter.

Ichiro topped San Diego's Pete Incaviglia to win the fanfest longball contest. Hide Sueyoshi confirmed the story that Ichiro had hopped a ride aboard a golf cart with Bret Boone, Mike Cameron and Ben Davis, thinking they were going from a lower workout field to the field where they would have conditioning, the Seattle Times reported.

Instead, they were going to the main stadium to take part in the home-run-hitting contest against San Diego Padres players.

"Those guys told the driver to take Ichiro back to the Mariners camp," said Seattle coach John McLaren. "But he looked at all the people in the stands and said, 'No, I'll stay and play.' ... Then he won it."

Ichiro hit six homers in 22 swings, and qualified for the finals against Incaviglia by hitting four homers in 12 swings, all out to right field.

In five swings of the finals, he and Incaviglia both hit one and then in the tiebreaker round, Ichiro hit one and Incaviglia none, the Times reported.

Boston Red Sox: Reliever/starter Tim Wakefield is unhappy with his role in the 'pen … again. Despite his past success and repeated requests to remain in the starting rotation, Wakefield once again finds himself cast into the unwanted role of reliever, the Boston Herald reported.

"The last couple of years it's been like, what's my job today?" Wakefield said. "Am I long? Am I short? Am I closer? I don't know what's going on. It would be nice to know what my job is and prepare for it, but I don't think that's going to happen."

Wakefield averaged 15 wins and 206 innings per season as a starter from 1995-98, but injuries and a weak bullpen changed changed his role in 1999. Former Sox manager Jimy Williams used Wakefield as a swing man, shifting him between starting, closing and long relieving.

Red Sox manager Joe Kerrigan said he told the knuckleballer over the winter that he would be used in the bullpen, sharing the set-up duties with Rich Garces, the Herald reported. Wakefield, however, said he was never told that.

According to Wakefield, the two played golf together in November, when the manager informed the pitcher that he was undecided about his role this season. But Wakefield said he hasn't heard anything since, the Herald reported.

"Joe never said, `This is going to be your role,' " Wakefield said. "Maybe he thinks he told me. I'm not upset. It happens that way sometimes."

New York Yankees: Former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly was back in uniform Tuesday and said his ailing back is getting better.

Mattingly, a spring training instructor, was hurt during a hitting drill last Thursday, spent three nights in a hospital and was released Sunday.

"It's better than the other day, that's for sure," Mattingly said. "I never had anything like that before. Hopefully, it will keep getting better."

Barring any setbacks, Mattingly plans to remain with the Yankees throughout spring training.

"If it doesn't go the other way, I want to stay," Mattingly said.

Meanwhile, catcher Jorge Posada, who is coming off shoulder surgery, threw to second and third base Monday, and said he felt good one day later.

"I think I'm doing better than I thought. I'm feeling real good. Hopefully, there are no setbacks," he said.

Milwaukee Brewers: There's a crowd at third base in the Brewers' spring camp, where three veterans who missed significant playing time last season because of injuries are fighting for the starting job.

Tyler Houston won it a year ago after converting from catcher in 2000, but he missed much of the season with a fractured foot.

Mark Loretta, the Brewers' leader in seniority with eight seasons, was the starting shortstop last year before injuries caused him to lose his spot to Jose Hernandez.

Ronnie Belliard started the last two seasons at second base, but he was limited by a sprained ankle in August and the Brewers signed free agent second baseman Eric Young in January.

The odd man out likely will find himself on the trade market, although Loretta's $5 million salary makes him less attractive than Belliard ($1.65 million) or Houston ($1.5 million).

Without Jeromy Burnitz, who was traded to the Mets, the Brewers might be hard-pressed to part with Houston, who has 30 homers in 599 at-bats over the last two years. But he's never played more than 113 games in a season.

Loretta has a .291 career batting average and is versatile, having played all four infield positions and even pitcher. But he's been limited to 91 and 102 games the last two years.

New York Mets: Satoru Komiyama found out Tuesday that not only is the American baseball a little larger, but it probably goes a lot farther.

Komiyama endured a rough outing during the Mets' intrasquad game that was highlighted by Jay Payton's mammoth two-run homer to left field.

Komiyama surrendered five hits and gave up three runs in one inning and said he's still trying to get the feel of a major league baseball compared to the smaller Japanese version.

"So far I won't get any shock," Komiyama said through an interpreter. "But maybe when I read the newspaper tomorrow I'll be shocked."

"He threw balls down the middle of the plate," said Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who also managed him for one year in Japan. "That's not quite his style and he's got a lot of room to improve."