Kennedy strained a muscle near his right ribcage in his start Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Joe Girardi said Wednesday that Kennedy also has bursitis in his right shoulder blade.

"We DL'd him because we figured it would linger into a second start," Girardi said.

Kennedy was 0-3 with a 7.41 in nine appearances, eight of them starts. To fill his spot on the roster, New York recalled reliever Chris Britton from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.

Kennedy joined starter Phil Hughes (fractured rib) on the Yankees' disabled list. Girardi said the results of an MRI exam on Hughes earlier in the day showed a "hot spot," and that the pitcher would have another MRI next week.

The loss of Hughes and Kennedy increased speculation that Chamberlain might soon join the starting rotation, though Girardi would not confirm what role the hard-throwing reliever will have in the coming weeks. The Yankees began Chamberlain's conversion from a setup man to a starter last week.

"I think Joba loves to pitch, so I think if you told him he could pitch every day, he would," Girardi said. "He knows he is going to get a chance to compete."

Girardi said Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang and Darrell Rasner will pitch Friday through Sunday against Minnesota, but the manager would not name a starter for Monday night.

"We could move Andy (Pettitte) up to that date if we wanted to," Girardi said. "(Chamberlain) is a possibility that he can throw sometime after this and give us a start. We'll take it step by step."

Girardi said in order for Chamberlain to be considered for a start, he would have to be used for an extended outing and then see how he felt afterward. Chamberlain was expected to pitch Wednesday night against the Orioles.

"Somehow we have to get 50-55 pitches in him in order to increase (his endurance) and strengthen him. But you have to see how he comes out of it physically and how he feels two days afterward," Girardi said. "I can't tell you 100 percent that he is going to take that spot. I have to see what happens tonight first."

Britton, meanwhile, joined the Yankees for the fourth time this season. The right-hander has pitched in two games, allowing one earned run in 4 2-3 innings. In 10 relief appearances at Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Britton pitched 13 innings and was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA.

"He hasn't had much of a chance when he's been up," Girardi said. "We used him some and other times we just didn't need him. You try to pick situations for a guy that you believe he's going to be successful in. He'll get his opportunities for us."