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New York Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson suffered a fractured right forearm in the first inning of Sunday’s Grapefruit League game against the Toronto Blue Jays, and the team announced that it will take him approximately 10 weeks to be “Major League ready.”

The injury happened in Granderson’s first at-bat of the spring, as he was hit on the right wrist by a 1-0 pitch from Toronto lefty J.A. Happ. Granderson immediately winced in pain, and after a quick consultation with trainers and manager Joe Girardi, he was taken out of the game and replaced by pinch-runner Ronnier Mustelier.

The Yankees announced about an hour later that Granderson was diagnosed initially with a bruised right forearm and sent for precautionary X-rays, which confirmed the fracture.

“It’s definitely tough, my mind and body were feeling great, but five pitches in, we have to go and change things a little bit,” Granderson told YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits after the injury was announced. “I didn’t think it was (that bad) and even as we got the X-rays, they were asking if I felt it; I really didn’t, but we got the X-ray and I saw it myself and (the fracture) was clear as day.”

Granderson had started Sunday’s game in left field, the first official tryout of a possible position switch with Brett Gardner, and his recovery timetable means the Yankees will be without one of their starting outfielders likely until mid-May.

The injury is a big blow for both the Yankees and Granderson, who is in the final year of his contract. However, drawing on the experience he had when he broke his hand at the end of Spring Training in 2008 and was forced to miss 21 games, Curtis said he was confident that he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

“I’m going to rest it right now, we’re still deciding if I’m going to keep it in the brace I have now or expand it out,” he said. “I got hit on the hand at the end of Spring Training a few years back, so I know what I need to do to get myself ready sooner rather than later. Obviously I can’t throw or hit, but I can keep the lower body moving, and then when I can (use my wrist), I’ll already be in good shape.”

Being that it is still very early in spring, the Yankees do have nearly five weeks until Opening Day to determine how they will replace Granderson; in-house, both Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz are in camp as non-roster invitees on Minor League deals, and the Yankees do have prospects Melky Mesa and Zoilo Almonte on the 40-man roster.

Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroYES