ARLINGTON – TheYankees were expecting big things fromIan Kennedy in 2008, but the 23-year-old failed to live up to expectations during the first two months of the season.

Now, withJoba Chamberlain on the disabled list and the Yankees looking to fill yet another hole in their injury-riddled rotation, Kennedy has another opportunity.

The righthander returns to the rotation tonight inAnaheim, filling the spot left open when Chamberlain went on the DL with rotator cuff tendinitis. Chamberlain is likely to miss at least the next three weeks, giving Kennedy the chance to show he rebuilt himself in the minors.

“We’re just looking for him to compete and give us an opportunity to win the game,” managerJoe Girardi said. “I’m not asking for him to throw nine shutout innings.”

Girardi has said several times that the Yankees want to see the Kennedy who pitched to a 1.90 ERA in three starts last September. The manager pointed to Kennedy’s approach as the difference between last fall and this spring, when he went 0-3 with a 7.41ERA in nine games, saying the young righthander needs to attack the strike zone more instead of trying to pick at the corners.

“Attacking the zone, being ahead in the count and using all his pitches,” Girardi said. “When he’s right, he’s living on the edges and throwing a lot of strikes. We need him to do that.”

The manager did acknowledge that “living on the edge” can be a fine line in the majors, especially for a control pitcher such as Kennedy.

“When they’re balls, you’re nibbling, and when they’re strikes, you’ve got great control,” Girardi said. “It’s a fine line that a lot of pitchers walk in this game. Sometimes you’re just a fraction of an inch off, and all of a sudden, you’re nibbling.”

Kennedy has pitched very well at Triple-A, going 4-2 with a 2.14 ERA in nine outings forScranton. In his last four starts, Kennedy was 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA, allowing just four runs in 27 innings.

“I expect him to come up and continue the little bit of a roll that he’s been on in Triple-A,” Girardi said. “I think he can pull from what he’s been doing down there. He’s been throwing the ball well.”

After being handed a spot in the rotation without having to prove himself, Kennedy struggled out of the gate, going 0-2 with an 8.37 ERA in six games. The Yankees sent him back to the minors shortly after his May 1 start, but he was recalled May 15, pitching poorly in two of his three starts before going on the DL with bursitis. When he was healthy again, the Bombers optioned him to Triple-A.