NEW YORK -- When Robinson Cano misplayed a ground ball against the Blue Jays on Aug. 30, sending an errant flip to Derek Jeter that ignited a Toronto rally, manager Joe Girardi backed up his second baseman.

He defended Cano against comments that his attitude on the field seemed nonchalant and indifferent.

But the Yankees' manager was quick to take action and send a clear message when Cano stared at a grounder from Tampa Bay's Cliff Floyd in the fourth inning Sunday, then hesitated several moments before making any movement to retrieve the ball.

Girardi pulled Cano for the remainder of Sunday's contest and kept him out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the White Sox.

"Physical errors are going to happen," Girardi said. "Those I can live with. It's the mental error and the effort that are so important to me.

"Robbie plays relaxed, and he's kind of a glider. ... I just felt that the no effort on the ball was what really upset me."

After Jason Giambi had made a diving lunge for the ball, it deflected off his glove, and when Cano did not immediately change direction to charge after it, Floyd hustled to turn his hit into a double.

Cano said he was embarrassed to be benched, but he was not upset with Girardi and agreed with his decision. His main focus is to learn and move forward.

"Even if I was playing today, I always -- if I make a mistake, I try to fix it and don't let it happen again," Cano said. "It's my mistake, and I've got to deal with it."

The defensive slip up only added to an already frustrating season for the young second baseman. After hitting .342 in 2006 and .306 in 2007, Cano has struggled to settle into an offensive rhythm this season. His average sat at .260 at the time of his departure from Sunday's game.

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Girardi noted that Cano suffered from tough luck early in the season, as numerous hard-hit balls that came off his bat were caught. But the manager said all struggling players have to fight through the frustration.

"Robbie's had a year that has been difficult on him," Girardi said. "It's a guy that's used to hitting over .300 and being very successful, and it's been a year that he's had some ups and downs. And as players, you have to learn how to go through those ups and downs, because every year you're not going to hit .330. Players just don't do that, and you have to figure out how to play the game always the same way no matter what the result is."

In the first year of a four-year, $30 million contract, Cano's performance has come as a disappointment because of the high expectations the Yankees' management has of him and his capabilities.

"Robbie is the type of player that can carry a club for a while -- he's that type of hitter," Girardi said. "He's an impactful player that we need to make an impact."

Cano said he will continue to work on his hitting at home in the Dominican Republic during the offseason to come back in shape and prepared for next season. And though he hasn't been able to click on all cylinders this year, he has shown flashes of the type of player he can be, and the Yankees believe that he will bounce back to the Cano they have seen before.

"He's still young," general manager Brian Cashman said. "I don't question the talent. And I know he does care, but sometimes you get frustrated and take it into the field. I'm still confident that Robbie Cano's the player that we expect him to be and will be that same player going forward.

"The good ones always find a way to get over the hump. They always do"