Mets general manager Sandy Alderson expects injured shortstop Ruben Tejada to return from the disabled list next week. Tejada has been out since May 7 with a right quad strain.

"We think he's healthy at the moment, although he needs to play several days in a row to confirm that," Alderson told ESPNNewYork.com. "The other thing is making sure he's ready to go offensively and he's swinging the bat well. I would expect it's only going to take a few days."

Tejada went 2-for-4 with a walk and scored three runs for Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. He played all nine innings at shortstop and Bisons manager Wally Backman told manager Terry Collins that Tejada was full of energy.

Collins, like Alderson, wants to see his shortstop play a little bit more before a return.

"I want to make sure not only that his timing is in order, but I want those legs in good shape," Collins said.

YOUNG ON TRACK: Saturday's starter, Chris Young, will be making his fourth start of the year when he faces the Yankees. That's four more than Collins expected at this point, as the manager said he didn't expect to have Young in his rotation until July 1.

Young had surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder last year.

"It's truly remarkable that he's been able to accomplish what he has 13 months after having that shoulder operation," Collins said. "Just goes to tell you what kind of guy he is and how hard he works and he gets himself ready."

The manager praised Young, who is 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA, for helping stabilize the rotation. Before Young's first start on June 5, the team had used pitchers such as Jeremy Hefner and Miguel Batista in that spot, but none had great success. Young has lasted at least five innings and has not given up more than three runs in each of his three starts.

R.A. ON NATIONAL STAGE: Sunday night's pitching matchup is going to be must-see TV as R.A .Dickey faces CC Sabathia. While Dickey is 11-1 with a 2.00 ERA, he's the lesser-known pitcher in this matchup against Sabathia, who is 9-3 with a 3.55 ERA on the season.

Collins hopes the nation will get a good look at Dickey and get a glimpse into the magical season he's having when he toes the rubber Sunday night.

"If you haven't seen this guy, you should tune in," Collins said. "We've all seen CC in playoff games and World Series games and the Yankees are on a lot. A lot of people haven't seen R.A. Dickey doing what he's doing right now. I hope tomorrow night he's as effective as he has been because it's going to be fun to watch for the person that's heard about him but has never seen him pitch."