Yankees GM Brian Cashman Leaning Toward Placing Mark Teixeira On DL
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — So much for good news.
Slumping Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira could be sidelined a while longer because of his ailing right wrist.
"I haven't done anything, but I'm leaning toward the disabled list," New York general manager Brian Cashman said Monday on a conference call.
Teixeira missed the first 53 games of the season because of a wrist injury. The All-Star slugger is hitting just .151 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 53 at-bats.
The 33-year-old Teixeira left the team during its recent West Coast trip, returned to New York and got a cortisone shot Sunday. Cashman said Teixeira probably wouldn't be able to play for at least a week.
Teixeira and the Yankees talked before the season about surgery, but decided against it. Cashman said he had "no regrets" about trying to heal the injury without an operation.
"Is it something that's going to force him to have surgery? I can't rule any of that out," Cashman said.
Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long recently said the switch-hitting Teixeira seemed to be having more trouble swinging left-handed. Teixeira is just 3 for 35 (.086) as a lefty.
Cashman said he wasn't mad at Long for that public comment. But Cashman sounded a bit miffed, saying Long hadn't reported that problem to the medical staff or front office.
The Yankees already have a crowded disabled list that includes infielders Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Youkilis and Eduardo Nunez, outfielder Curtis Granderson, catcher Francisco Cervelli and pitcher Michael Pineda.
Cashman said Youkilis is being examined by a back specialist. The former star is hitting .219 with two homers and eight RBIs in 105 at-bats.
Cashman said he's hoping Youkilis' condition improves, but "back issues usually don't get better."
Several of the rehabilitating Yankees worked out Monday at the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla.
Rodriguez faced a minor league right-hander in his first live batting practice session. He saw 30 pitches, broken into two rounds, and put a half-dozen balls into play.
Rodriguez also fielded grounders at third base and made throws to first and second, and ran sprints in the outfield.
Jeter took batting practice for the first time in the indoor cage. Nunez and Cervelli played long toss.
Granderson also long tossed and said he would be in New York on Thursday to have his broken knuckle examined.
NOTES: The Yankees, who have lost five of six, were off Monday. They open a two-game series Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their first visit to the Bronx since clinching the 1981 World Series. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who starred for the Yankees and later was a coach, will be in uniform at Yankee Stadium for the first time since being passed over after the 2007 season to become the team's manager. Cashman reiterated he thought he made the right choice in selecting Joe Girardi over Mattingly and Tony Pena. Cashman said the fact that Mattingly hadn't been a major league manager at that point "was a big separator." Cashman said this series would be a chance for Yankees fans to salute Mattingly, adding Donnie Baseball "is and will always be a Yankee." Over the weekend, Mattingly said he was looking to seeing a lot of familiar faces in the Bronx and had no negative feelings about getting skipped over as manager. "Not one bit," Mattingly said. "Everything worked out for the best. I love being the manager of the Dodgers and am proud to work for another great organization." ... The Yankees are adding former big league DH-1B Randy Ruiz to their Triple-A roster. Ruiz, 35, was born in the Bronx and hit .272 with 12 home runs and 25 RBIs in 68 games with Minnesota and Toronto in 2008-10. The righty hitter has played in Japan, Mexico and the minors since then.
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