On Monday, Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes was selected as the Arizona Fall League's Pitcher of the Week for the circuit's first week of action.

Hughes won his start in the Peoria Javelinas' AFL opener on Tuesday, striking out seven and allowing one hit over five scoreless innings in a 10-3 victory over the Surprise Rafters. Hughes pitched out of trouble in the start, walking five, and was scheduled to make his second AFL start on Monday.

The 22-year-old Hughes was sent to the Fall League after he lost much of his 2008 campaign to injury. Opening the season in the Yankees' rotation, Hughes went 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in six starts before going on the disabled list with a fractured rib that derailed his season.

The right-hander proceeded cautiously through the Yankees' farm system on rehab before making it back to New York for two starts, and though he finished the year winless in eight big league outings, he said in September that he has put the disappointing campaign behind him already.

"I never tried to figure out what happened this year -- I just tried to move forward," Hughes said. "I'll go to the Fall League and pitch well there and get some innings in, and then come into Spring Training ready to go."

Though 2008 did not go as envisioned, the Yankees were pleased to see Hughes end his season on a positive note. Coming off a promising start on Sept. 17 against the White Sox, Hughes hurled eight innings of two-run, five-hit ball on Sept. 24 at Toronto, walking none and striking out six.

He said that he was looking forward to using the AFL as a springboard for 2009, when the Yankees are expected to consider Hughes for the back end of their Major League rotation.

"I'm just thinking about getting back and pitching well and going into the spring with a good attitude," Hughes said. "Innings, basically, are what I'm focused on -- pitching well and commanding my fastball and everything else. But the main reason for being down there is getting innings in."

The Yankees supplied seven players to the Javelinas' roster this fall: pitchers Hughes, Jeff Marquez, Humberto Sanchez and Kevin Whelan, infielders Juan Miranda and Kevin Russo, and outfielder Austin Jackson.