New York Yankees Rumors: Mark Teixeira DL Bound?

New York Yankees Rumors: After fouling a ball off of his leg Monday night, Mark Teixeira was forced from the game. It was originally thought to be a day-to-day thing, but the injury may be worse off then originally thought.

The New York Yankees were able to get past one night without first baseman Mark Teixeira, who was forced from the Yankees’ series opening win against the Minnesota Twins. Teixeira fouled a ball off his knee in the sixth inning. He was able to finish the at-bat and work a walk, but was lifted by rookie Gregory Bird after he struggled to get to first base and talked with trainers and manager Joe Girardi.

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Bird was able to come up big for the Yankees on Monday night, as he walked in his first at-bat and then hit a double to start the Yankees rally in the 10th inning. He was able to come up big then, but will he be able to do it on a consistent basis? That might be something we find out in the coming days, as the knee injury to Teixeira could be worse than originally thought.

It is only a bone bruise, but a deep one that could keep Teixeira out for more than his original day-to-day diagnosis. Brian Cashman commented on the situation today, saying, “Thankfully, it is a bone bruise. Not thankfully, it is a bad bone bruise so he is day-to-day. If there were a break in there we would be in real trouble. Thankfully, that is not the case.”

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While that is a positive way to look at things, Cashman would not commit to Teixeira avoiding the DL. While the Yankees’ trainer Steve Donohue does not believe Teixeira will miss more than two weeks and require a DL stint, the final decision will come down to their team doctor, Chris Ahmad.

Girardi was unable to show as much optimism as Cashman was, as he was worried last night. “It’s concerning. I was concerned when he did it right away because of where it hit. Forget the padding that you put on, but there’s no padding when you hit it off your shin. That’s straight bone. I was concerned last night.”

And for good reason. The Yankees are in a playoff race with the Toronto Blue Jays and cannot afford to be without arguably their best hitter. Teixeira has had a renaissance this season, leading the Yankees with 31 home runs and 79 RBI, which ranks him tied for fifth and places him seventh respectively in MLB. His batting average and slugging percentages are also as high as they have been since his first season with the Yankees as he has been a lynchpin in the middle of their order all season.

That will be a tall enough task for Bird to replace, but where the real challenge will be is when he is in the field. Teixeira is one of the best fielding first baseman in all of baseball, while Bird isn’t exactly at the major league level because of his glove. He is adequate with his glove and arm, but it is a far cry from what Teixeira gives them at first base. We have seen what an improved defense can do for a team, as the Blue Jays have shot up the standings not only because of a loaded offense, but because of the improved defense Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere are giving them at shortstop and left field.

The Yankees are putting a lot of pressure now on Bird, and they have to hope he can deliver more heroics like he did Monday night. If not, the Yankees are going to have a tough time holding off both the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles.

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