Andy Pettitte might be ready for the New York Yankees when the season starts, but the AL champions could be missing Robin Ventura.

Pettitte, pitching in a major league spring training game for the first time since March 3, allowed one run in four innings of New York’s 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday in Clearwater, Fla.

Pettitte had thrown twice in minor league games since being scratched from a start on March 8 because of a strained left elbow.

“Oh yeah,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said when asked if Pettitte would be in the rotation to start the regular season. “We just don’t know where he’ll fit in.”

Pettitte struck out three and walked one. He threw 39 of 60 pitches for strikes. He will make one more exhibition start.

“All in all, it was a great day,” Pettitte said. “I just want to get the pitches and the innings without any setbacks.”

The news wasn’t all good for the Yankees. Ventura sprained his left ankle and is questionable for next week’s season opener.

Ventura was injured in the third inning trying to avoid grounding into a double play. With Bernie Williams on first, the slow-footed Ventura grounded to first baseman Dave Hollins, who threw to second base for the forceout. Trying to beat the return throw, Ventura stepped on Hollins’ foot at first base.

“A mild sprain. We’ll see what happens,” Ventura said. “I don’t think it’s too bad.”

Ventura, who was ruled safe on the play, immediately left the game, walking off the field on his own. X-rays were negative.

“There didn’t seem to be swelling. That’s good news,” Torre said. “It’s scary  especially the last week of spring training, when we don’t have a lot of time to get people healthy.”

Also Monday, Phillies utility player Tomas Perez injured his left knee on a hard takeout slide by Shane Spencer and his status for the season is uncertain.

An MRI exam revealed that Perez has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and a slight meniscus tear, team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti said. Perez will probably be out 3-to-6 weeks.

Elsewhere, Pittsburgh outfielder Armando Rios, still recovering from reconstructive left knee surgery, bruised his right knee during a hard collision with Minnesota first baseman Mike Cuddyer.

Rios was running hard on a high popup during the seventh inning when he slammed into Cuddyer about halfway down the first-base line. Both players lay on the field briefly, the wind knocked out of them, before getting up.

“He was looking up at the ball and there was a bad sound,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “That was a bad collision. The base runner was in no man’s land.”

The 185-pound Rios, expected to be the Pirates’ opening day right fielder, clearly got the worst of the collision with the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Cuddyer, one of the Twins’ top prospects.

“He hit me and he’s a big guy who was going at full speed,” Rios said. “I was just trying to get the air back in me. I just wanted to get up and make sure I could walk.”