Yankees' Mark Teixeira Still Nursing Sore Right Wrist
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was held out of Sunday's starting lineup against the Royals after his ailing right wrist felt sore from a game the previous night.
He pinch-hit in the ninth inning and grounded out to first.
Manager Joe Girardi said he was simply being "proactive" in resting Teixeira, who missed games in late May and last week because of the wrist. Teixeira is hitting just .180 in his last 15 games.
Girardi expects to put Teixeira back in the lineup for Monday's series finale.
"We're a team where we are not running a bunch of 25-year-old kids out there," Girardi said. "So you have to pay attention to signs and do what you can. But you also have to win games and guys have to play and you're going to be a little bit beat up."
Kelly Johnson started at first base in Teixeira's place on Sunday.
When pressed whether Teixeira's wrist could keep him out longer than a day, Girardi replied: "I can't tell you exactly what it's going to be. I can't play God or doctor here.
"I'm not going to try to do that," he said, "but it's a quick turnaround, a day game after a night game. It was a pretty long game yesterday so I felt I'd give him today. And we're in a stretch of 17 in a row, so he's going to need a day somewhere."
In other news, reliever Shawn Kelley threw 19 pitches in a rehab assignment Saturday with Double-A Trenton. He's expected to throw again Monday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Girardi said the club will determine after that whether to bring him back.
Kelley has been out with a strained lumbar spine since May 7.
"One outing to me is not a lot when you've been off a month. We just felt for him it would be better to make sure he bounces back OK, that Monday he's OK and able to throw," Girardi said.
Catcher Francisco Cervelli, on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, was also headed to Scranton to continue his rehab. Girardi said he asked Cervelli to field ground balls at first base and it's possible he could get some time at that position.
"I don't think he's that far away, but I haven't seen him play," Girardi said. "I think the most he's caught is five innings, so we've still got to build him up a little bit more. I don't think he's like, a mile away."
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