"The Yankees said Wednesday that reliever Joba Chamberlain's injury is a strained left oblique and he won't be pitching soon.

Chamberlain felt what he described as a "cramp" or a "spasm" while pitching last Friday. An MRI exam revealed the strain, and the Yankees are going to keep him off a mound for the immediate future.

The plan is for Chamberlain to play catch Thursday, then make a plan after that.

"Anytime you hear a strain, you say that's bad news," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "That's not what you want to hear. Right now he feels good. He's asymptomatic. He's done tests (in the training room) and feels good. As I've said, throwing is different than doing tests in the training room. We'll have to see."

Girardi said if this were the regular season, Chamberlain would be placed on the 15-day disabled list because he would not be able to pitch for a week and the team could not go that long with a short bullpen."