Joba knows his role  —  Yankees inform righty that he'll start season in bullpen  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The argument of whether Joba Chamberlain can best serve the Yankees out of their starting rotation or bullpen isn't settled — not by a long shot.  But for the purposes of Opening Day, the right-hander finally has his answer.

Hughes ‘close’ despite struggles  —  Righty fine-tuning pitches in final weeks of Spring Training  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Phil Hughes has never hung around a big league camp this long, but those who know his career path would recognize this as the point when the spring results always get a little wobbly.

Castillo, Cantu both may stay with Marlins  —  JUPITER — One morning last month in the early days of camp, Jose Castillo looked over at Jorge Cantu in the Marlins clubhouse and said, “Can you believe we're competing for job?”  —  With 11 days left in camp, the competition may be over, with the winner being both veteran infielders.

MISSING IN ACTION  —  INJURIES SLOW NEW METS SCHNEIDER, CHURCH  —  Brian Schneider and Ryan Church already can hear the grumbling.  —  The two former Nationals acquired in the Lastings Milledge trade have yet to play their first game in New York, but they get the feeling Mets fans wonder …