YANKEE NOTES

After Jason Giambi received treatment for his bruised right forearm yesterday at Yankee Stadium, GM Brian Cashman didn’t know if the first baseman would be in the lineup against the Orioles tonight when the Yankees open a nine-game homestand.

“I can’t say he can or can’t [play],” the GM said. “We will see how he feels.”

Giambi, who was the DH Wednesday, was plunked in the seventh inning of the Yanks’ 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays. X-rays were negative, but nerves in his fingers were affected.

*

Employees at Yankee Stadium yesterday were mourning the death of organization members Oscar Acosta and Humberto Trejo, who were killed in a multi-car accident Wednesday night in the Dominican Republic. While the casual Yankees fan may not be familiar with Acosta and Trejo, they were important pieces of the franchise’s developmental program and the construction of a complex in the Dominican.

“They were a very big part in the Dominican,” Cashman said. “Oscar was our director of player development there and then he was our manager in the Gulf Coast League [in Tampa]. And Humberto was our field coordinator in the Dominican.

“[They] touched countless people within our organization. Their dedication and passion to improving young lives far exceed the boundaries of a baseball field. We ask that you join us in keeping Oscar, Humberto, their wives and children in your prayers.”

“The Yankees grieve the tragic loss of Oscar Acosta and Humberto Trejo,” George Steinbrenner said. “They were both fine men and great Yankees, and we are praying for their families and loved ones.”

Yankees executives worked yesterday to return the bodies to Tampa and Venezuela, where Acosta and Trejo lived, respectively.

Flags were at half-staff yesterday at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa and at Legends Field. Clergy members were brought in to talk to the young players who knew the men and the extended spring training game was cancelled. A moment of silence will be observed tonight at Yankee Stadium before the game against the Orioles.

Acosta’s son, Ryan, played in a high school baseball game yesterday for Clearwater (Fla.) Catholic High. The junior third baseman told classmates his father would have wanted it that way.