updated 6:33 p.m. ET April 5, 2008

NEW YORK - Yankees manager Joe Girardi missed his second straight game Saturday with an upper respiratory infection.

Girardi was at the ballpark and bench coach Rob Thomson said about 2½ hours before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays that he thought Girardi would be back in the dugout. But the club announced right before the first pitch that Thomson would again manage the team.

“Yesterday I had a 103 (degree) temperature,” Girardi said after the Yankees’ 6-3 loss. “I think I’ll be all right tomorrow.”

Girardi also stayed in his office during New York’s 13-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Friday night. Thomson said he thinks Girardi will be back Sunday.

“I talked to him after the game and, again, he’s feeling better,” Thomson said Saturday. “I keep saying that but he thinks that the fever’s broken and hopefully we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

Girardi was hired by New York in the offseason to replace longtime manager Joe Torre.

Yankees slugger Jason Giambi also was day to day after tweaking his left groin running the bases in the third inning Saturday.

“Rounding second, I just overextended it a bit,” Giambi said. “It feels pretty good right now. I’m going to come in tomorrow prepared to play.”

Giambi was 0-for-1 with a walk when Wilson Betemit pinch-hit for him in the fifth inning.

The Yankees also made a move Saturday, activating Andy Pettitte off the disabled list and optioning right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Pettitte, who was bothered by back spasms during spring training, allowed eight hits and five runs in five innings against Tampa Bay.

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