Ed Betz / AP

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who was injured earlier this month, missed Wednesday's game with a small fracture in his right hand. Manager Joe Torre, left, also has to worry about ailing first baseman Jason Giambi, who also didn't play Wednesday.

updated 10:01 a.m. ET July 22, 2004

NEW YORK - Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has a small fracture in his right hand that kept him out of Wednesday night’s game, yet he does not need surgery and will not wear a cast.

Jeter was hit by a pitch from Tampa Bay’s Victor Zambrano on Tuesday. As to when Jeter will return to the lineup, “it could be as early as tomorrow,” New York general manager Brian Cashman said after a 10-3 win over Toronto.

Jeter had an MRI and X-rays in New York, and the team announced the test results after the victory. The Yankees’ captain is day-to-day with non-displaced fracture in a bone above his wrist.

“He told me, ’I could be playing right now,”’ Cashman said. “It could’ve been worse, but it’s not good, either.”

Jeter is hitting .278 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs. The All-Star has gone 31 games without making an error, the longest active streak by an AL shortstop.

Jeter was banged up earlier this season when he hurtled headfirst into the stands at Yankee Stadium after making a catch against Boston. Despite a bruised face and shoulder, he started the next day.

Slugger Jason Giambi, however, isn’t sure exactly when he’ll play again.

Bothered by an intestinal parasite earlier this season, Giambi has been slowed by fatigue. A new set of doctors is trying to determine what’s wrong, and Giambi said he was checked for cancer on Wednesday — nothing was found.

Giambi will be examined for infectious diseases on Thursday.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some answers,” he said. “I’m kind of lost in limbo land. It’s kind of frustrating.

“I had that light at the end of the tunnel, but now it seems to be fading away,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s like a stalemate.”

Giambi did not start in eight straight games from June 26 to July 4. The 2000 AL MVP was hitless on Tuesday at Tampa Bay and is in an 0-for-18 slump.

Giambi is batting .224 with 11 homers and 36 RBIs.

“I’ve been playing, not very good,” he said.

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