NEW YORK – New York Yankees right-hander Orlando Hernandez threw off a bullpen mound Tuesday to test his bothersome right elbow and could be ready to pitch by the end of the week.

"I felt good. I don't know how long I threw. I threw everything. Everything felt good. I have no worries," El Duque said through a translator. "I'll start Friday or Saturday, I hope. I think I will be able to go out and do my job without any worries."

The Yankees are at home against Oakland this weekend.

Hernandez, 0-2 with a 5.84 ERA in three starts this season, left a 7-2 loss to Toronto on April 18 after three innings because of discomfort in the elbow and missed one start -- Tuesday night against Seattle.

He had an MRI and CT scan on the elbow Friday and the tests showed no structural changes have happened since last summer.

Hernandez got a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Monday in Birmingham, Ala.

"If he feels fine tomorrow, he'll pitch Friday or Saturday," New York manager Joe Torre said. "Hopefully the news from the test will help him feel good. It reconfirmed what we found out last week."

Hernandez's elbow slowed him in spring training. He also went on the disabled list for three weeks last summer with elbow pain.

"Structurally he's fine and that's the important thing," Torre said. "I'd rather have doubt in his mind than a bump in his elbow. I'll live with that. He'll get over it."

The starter is coming off the worst season of his three-year Yankees career. He went 12-13 with a 4.51 ERA in 2000, twice missing time because of the elbow.