The New York Yankees expect veteran outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to start the regular season on the disabled list because of a strained oblique muscle.
Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Monday that the Yankees are undecided on whether to add an outfielder to their 25-man Opening Day roster to replace Ellsbury, who has not played in a spring training game since March 1.
Ellsbury, 34, is slated to be a backup this season behind Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks in New York's outfield.
Ellsbury struggled to stay healthy in his first four seasons with the Yankees. He appeared in 112 games last season, batting .264 with seven home runs and 22 stolen bases.