NEW YORK -- Roger Clemens' anticipated arrival was acknowledged in the asphalt of the players' parking lot on Friday, where workers had dutifully painted over Carl Pavano's No. 45 and replaced it with the Rocket's No. 22.

Neither Clemens nor his automobile were physically at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees opened a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the 44-year-old right-hander still managed to maintain a looming presence over everything in pinstripes.

The meter on Clemens' prorated $28 million contract will finally begin clicking on Saturday, as the Rocket returns to action in the Bronx for the first time since 2003.

While Clemens' soon-to-be Yankees teammates are excited to add his Hall of Fame presence to the mound, most are cautious not to regard Clemens' arrival as that of a savior or some sort of superhero.

"It doesn't make a difference if you've got Roger Clemens on the team or you bring Babe Ruth back and put him on the team," Derek Jeter said. "We have to go out there and play. It's like I said when we first signed Rocket, you can't sit around and wait for him to come. It's not like he's going to have some magic over us when he gets here."

But perhaps he'll have some measure of intimidation against the Bucs, whose oldest batters, Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, were all of six years old when Clemens made his Major League debut for the Red Sox in 1984.

"Rocket's a guy who can get you out on pure intimidation, just by the fact that us kids grew up watching him and knowing how good a performer he was," Johnny Damon said. "It gives you a lift, and when you have your opponent beaten before you even face him, it makes you that much more confident."

Clemens' original return was anticipated to be for last Monday at Chicago, but Clemens pulled out of the scheduled start at U.S. Cellular Field due to what turned out to be disrupted scar tissue in his right groin.

Having settled those issues and worked out the kinks with reprise appearances at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., Clemens is spending the night in New York, and -- barring some unforeseen setbacks -- he will finally gear up on Saturday, beginning the mission he set out to accomplish last month when he insisted that anything short of a championship would be unacceptable.

But as Jeter and other Yankees have noted, Clemens pitches just once every five days, and the team must continue to play hard on the four days when they don't have his Cooperstown-bound arm on the hill.

For Clemens' first time out, Yankees manager Joe Torre said that he is anticipating five or six strong innings from Clemens, with no restrictions on pitch count, since Clemens has already surpassed the 100-pitch mark.

"Obviously, to be pitching at his age, you know what you're doing," Torre said. "He's still got a lot of little boy in him. He's going to be sky high. He's a very emotional guy. Hopefully it doesn't affect his command. But he's certainly going to be a presence for us."

Doug down and out: Doug Mientkiewicz rejoined his Yankees teammates on Friday, sporting a cast on his right wrist and saying that he feels like he has let the club down with his injuries.

The first-year Yankee suffered a concussion, a cervical sprain and a fractured bone in his right wrist when he collided with Boston's Mike Lowell on a play at first base in a game at Fenway Park last Saturday.

Leaving the field on a medical cart, Mientkiewicz was given a standing ovation by the rival crowd and said he was touched by the gesture, saying that he never thought he would be cheered in Boston again.

The most difficult part of the injuries, Mientkiewicz said, has been watching the Yankees' games as an idle observer.

"That's been tough," Mientkiewicz said. "I'm talking, close to tears watching a game. I've waited a long time to play here, [to] play with teammates that care so much. It's a place that feels like home, and when you can't go out and battle with your boys, it makes it tough."

Mientkiewicz said he still has moments of dizziness from the collision, but insisted that if not for the fractured scapula bone in his right wrist, he would be able to play right now. Instead, Mientkiewicz said he is slated for surgery Tuesday morning in New York to have pins put into his wrist to help speed the recovery process of the fracture, which is considered to be a slow-healing injury.

Mientkiewicz said a late-July or early-August return is possible. Though he regrets being shelved, he said he hasn't been replaying the play in his mind to find ways he could have avoided the disabled list.

"I wouldn't change a thing," Mientkiewicz said. "My job is to catch the ball. Did I know I was going to get run over? Yeah. I went back in the baseline to catch a bad throw. But that's my job."

Getting Miggy with it: Miguel Cairo started at first base for the third time in four games on Monday, and it could become a recurring trend as long as the Yankees continue to put up runs.

"We knew that he was capable, because he's an infielder," Torre said. "You trust him at shortstop, so first base should not be an issue for him. He attacks the ball and has no problem with that."

Torre said that he likes the measure of defense that Cairo provides over first-base challenger Josh Phelps, who is regarded as a below-average gloveman. Phelps has more power than Cairo, but with the higher hitters in the order now batting the ball around, Torre feels that the Yankees can sacrifice offense to have Cairo help their pitching staff.

"Josh's bat, obviously, will make an impact," Torre said. "On a regular basis, we have to make a decision on how important that bat is as opposed to his defense. As long as we're scoring runs, I think I'll go more with defense."

Giambi speaks: Jason Giambi, on the disabled list and under scrutiny after Commissioner Bud Selig's request to cooperate with Sen. George Mitchell's ongoing steroids investigation, checked in at Yankee Stadium on Friday but laid low, avoiding reporters.

Giambi did issue a statement through club public relations director Jason Zillo before the game, saying, "There's really nothing I can say at this point other than I want to be a part of this team and show my support. They are playing some great baseball right now, and they seem to be having a lot of fun doing it."

Boyer remembered: The Yankees held a moment of silence Friday in remembrance of former third baseman Clete Boyer, who passed away Monday at the age of 70 in Atlanta. A defensive standout, Boyer played in 27 World Series games for the Yankees and wore pinstripes from 1959-66.

Sheppard honored: Legendary Yankee Stadium announcer Bob Sheppard, dubbed "The Voice of God" by Reggie Jackson, was honored on Monday at the Alumni Convocation of St. John's University with the Medal of Honor, the highest award the university can confer upon a graduate. Longtime backup Jim Hall filled in for the game against the Pirates.

Coming up: Clemens will finally lift off for the Yankees on Saturday afternoon, drawing the starting assignment and making his 2007 debut in the second game of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Left-hander Paul Maholm (2-8, 5.35 ERA) counters for the Bucs, with first pitch set for 1:05 ET on the YES Network.