"Yankees catcher Russell Martin, coming off offseason surgery for a small tear in his right knee, will not be ready for Saturday's spring training opener against Philadelphia.

"It's still a little stiff. It's not 100 percent yet,'' Martin said Wednesday. "It's not a setback. I will be ready for the regular season. They don't want me to get ahead of myself and get set back.''

Brian Cashman said he has no concerns about Martin's status for the regular-season opener. Joe Girardi said he thinks Martin might miss three or four spring games.

"I don't think he is quite ready to go and I am not going to rush him,'' Girardi said. "I told him that I wanted to know when he was 100 percent because I don't want a setback. If it was three or four days, that would be my hope. But if it takes more, it takes more.''

Martin has been catching bullpens and batting practice, but has not started blocking balls in the dirt."