A day after Johan Santana came out of the lineup, Jerry Manuel portrayed the left-hander as doing OK with a strain at the top of his chest, near the shoulder. The manager also placed Angel Pagan in the starting lineup for the first time since Monday, and acknowledged Jose Reyes is not making progress with his right oblique issue.

Regarding Santana, Manuel said: "Johan, on a day like today, doesn't actually do anything. It's a day game after a night game. From what I understand, it's basically a strain -- nothing that they think is serious. But we'll know more as he probably participates in things tomorrow like throw, long toss, that type of thing."

Asked if a strain automatically disqualifies Santana from Tuesday's scheduled start against the Washington Nationals in DC, Manuel said: "No, I don't know. In talking with him, he didn't seem concerned. But that's Johan. We'd have to really monitor him when he goes out and plays catch the next day or so. We have to really watch him and see how he responds when he's playing catch. That will be the telltale sign."

Manuel added that he did not believe Santana needs an MRI, CT scan or other testing.

As for Thursday's discrepancy, when pitching coach Dan Warthen mentioned Santana's shoulder, Manuel drew a line across his chest, all the way to his shoulder, suggesting the areas essentially blend together. Still, Manuel insisted it was a pectoral strain.

On Pagan, Manuel inserted him as a defensive replacement Thursday, but indicated he likely would have had to bunt if he batted because of right wrist tendinitis. What changed to allow Pagan to play Friday?

"What he was doing last night basically was icing most of the night," Manuel said. "So if you're icing, you're not quite heated up to perform. That was where he was last night. Right now, he's heated up and ready to go. Plus, he's batting left-handed. He probably has more of an issue on the other side than he does as a left-handed hitter."

Pagan is in center field, with Carlos Beltran just geting a day game after a night game off.

Manuel then described Reyes as "pretty much the same."

Said the manager: "With him, it's one of those things that's just a slow-healing thing. I don't know how long that's going to be."