Abreu (appendix) will open the season on the disabled list at High-A Tampa, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports.
He had an appendectomy in February, and the recovery time on that surgery typically isn't more than several weeks, so it's a bit of a surprise that he won't be ready to go for the start of the season. Abreu only logged 53.1 innings last season, plus a stint in the Arizona Fall League, so the Yankees may simply be holding him out because he wasn't going to be able to log a full season this year anyway. Once healthy, Abreu should have no problem mowing down High-A hitters (he has 46 innings under his belt at that level) and forcing a promotion to Double-A.