Capuano heads to pen

SEATTLE – Chris Capuano’s time in the Yankees rotation came to an end Monday as the veteran lefty was demoted to the bullpen, opening a spot for Masahiro Tanaka to return from the disabled list on Wednesday.

“With Masa coming off the DL on Wednesday and (Ivan) Nova not far behind, I figured it was a numbers game,” Capuano said. “I’m going to try to be ready to do my job in the bullpen.”

Adam Warren had been the odds-on favorite to return to the bullpen as recently as two weeks ago thanks to his success in a setup role last season. But Warren has been the Yankees’ most consistent starter the past four times through the rotation, pitching to a 2.70 ERA over 26.2 innings.

Girardi said Warren’s performance was a bigger factor in the decision than Capuano’s, though the veteran’s 0-3 record and 6.39 ERA surely didn’t help his cause.

“Obviously I think he could be really effective in the bullpen, but his starts are important, too” Girardi said. “We decided to keep him there.”

DREW’S SECOND CHANCE

Were two days of work in the batting cage enough to help Stephen Drew find his swing at the plate? Girardi was ready to find out, inserting his struggling second baseman back into the lineup against Felix Hernandez on Monday.

“It’s tough, but we signed him to be our second baseman,” Girardi said. “He’s worked really hard the last couple days to see if he could work on a couple little things here or there. I want to get him back out there.”

With lefthander Mike Montgomery slated to make his big-league debut on Tuesday, Girardi will likely rest either Drew or Didi Gregorius in favor of Jose Pirela.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

There’s another second baseman here off to a poor start this season, though not nearly as bad as Drew. Robinson Cano entered the series hitting .251/.295/.344 with two home runs and 16 RBI, a far cry from the numbers he’s put up for the past decade.