Mark Teixeira is out of the Yankees’ starting lineup for the eighth straight game tonight due to a lower lat strain, but he told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that he’s aiming to make his return tomorrow.
Teixeira was originally expected to miss 3-4 days, so the Yankees have had to play short-handed for over a week now. The good news is that he has felt improvement since a platelet-rich plasma injection and had no issues today when he took on-field batting practice for the first time since the injury.
While it hasn’t been pretty, Brian McCann has functioned as the Yankees’ primary first baseman during Teixeira’s absence. He’s making his seventh straight start at the position tonight. Meanwhile, Francisco Cervelli is making his eighth straight start behind the plate.
After being limited to just 15 games last season due to a wrist injury, Teixeira is batting .231/.330/.443 with 17 home runs and 48 RBI over 76 games this season. He leads the Yankees in home runs, RBI, and OPS.
