YANKEE NOTES

For a Yankees team that desperately needs all the good news it can get, Mel Stottlemyre gave a thumb’s up on Randy Johnson yesterday.

Stottlemyre reported that Johnson came out of his 70-pitch bullpen session fine after testing his injured left groin, and he’s slated to start tomorrow against the Mariners.

“Very good,” Stottlemyre said. “Everything was fine.”

After the Yanks’ 5-0 victory over Oakland, Johnson said basically the same thing.

“Everything went well,” the Big Unit reported.

Johnson (2-2, 3.74 ERA) was scratched from his previous start vs. Tampa Bay on Wednesday, a situation that made the 41-year-old ornery. He tweaked his groin in the ninth inning of a start April 29 versus Toronto but said he felt he could’ve made his next turn. Tomorrow’s start will be his seventh of the season.

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Jason Giambi was a late scratch after being tentatively penciled in the lineup as DH and the No. 8 hitter. Giambi, who was hit in the head by a pitch Wednesday, said he was feeling better yesterday morning.

“Last night was the best I slept so far,” Giambi said. “I don’t have a headache this morning.

“[Friday] I was just kind of all over the place. A little woozy.”

After the beleaguered Bomber tested himself in the batting cage before the game, he didn’t feel good enough. He was replaced by rookie Andy Phillips, who went 0-for-3.

“[Giambi] was still a little fuzzy as far as seeing the ball,” Joe Torre said.

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Bernie Williams said he has fluid in his right arm, but it’s not serious enough for him to go on the disabled list. Williams, diagnosed with a mild triceps strain on Friday, spoke for the first time about his MRI results.

He said he’s receiving treatment to relieve the inflammation, but the fluid doesn’t need to be drained.

“Obviously it’s not 100 percent; everybody knows that,” Williams said. “You’ve gotta play through pain sometimes.

“If I would wait for myself to be 100 percent, I probably would play one month out of the season.”

Williams didn’t play yesterday.