Yankees boost staff with Leiter

NOTES

The New York Yankees acquired left-hander Al Leiter – and most of the money to pay him – from the Florida Marlins and scheduled him to start today’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees will be responsible for about $400,000 of the $2.8 million remaining on Leiter’s 2005 salary, general manager Brian Cashman said. There were no other players involved in the deal.

Cashman conceded that Leiter was no longer a front-line starter but held out hope that he would be an improvement in the back of the rotation.

The Yankees have used 11 starters this season – the most in the American League.

•New York Yankees pitcher Kevin Brown will start against the Rangers on Monday, manager Joe Torre said, one day after the right-hander threw 69 pitches off a mound as part of his rehabilitation from a back injury.

After reporting no problems,, Brown departed the Yankees’ spring training complex with his equipment bag, optimistic that he was ready to rejoin the Yankees’ rotation.

“Ideally we’d probably want him to pitch a rehab start, but where we are with our pitching staff we’ll take what he gives us,” Torre said. “He can go to about an 80-pitch limit.”

Braves ready to reload

Tim Hudson was back on the mound for the Atlanta Braves, who were set for the imminent return of two more key players.

Hudson made his first start since June 13, when he was forced out after 2 2/3 innings by a strained muscle in his left side.

The right-hander’s return was just the first bit of good news for the Braves this weekend. Injured lefty Mike Hampton is expected to come off the disabled list today to start against the Mets, and third baseman Chipper Jones plans to be in the lineup Monday when the Braves start a series in San Francisco against the Giants.

“I think it’s a psychological lift,” manager Bobby Cox said.