YES Network.com

The Subway Series version 2012 begins Friday night, and both the Mets and Yankees may have their regular left fielders back at some point during the series.

According to Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Brett Gardner had five at-bats in an Extended Spring Training game in Tampa on Tuesday, and “all went well” – fueling speculation that the speedster could return to the Bombers lineup as soon as this weekend.

Girardi told the media that Gardner would be off from baseball activity on Wednesday, but would then play “a few days in a row” before being reevaluated.

Whether those days come in Extended Spring or on a Minor League rehab assignment isn’t yet clear, but the skipper left open the possibility that Gardner could be in the Bronx for Sunday’s Subway Series finale.

“Everything is pretty good right now,” Girardi said. “We’ll just have to see how he does. It's possible (he could play this weekend), but we'll just have to see how it goes.”

Gardner has been on the disabled list since April 18 with a strained right elbow, and has appeared in only nine games this season.

The Mets, meanwhile, are expected to activate outfielder Jason Bay on Wednesday. Bay, who has been on the disabled list since April 24 with a fractured rib, completed his rehab assignment with Class-A St. Lucie on Tuesday and will likely see a lot of time as the Mets’ designated hitter over the weekend.

Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroYES