Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira could go on DL with ‘bad bone bruise’

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira left Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins after he hit a foul ball off his leg in the sixth inning. He was diagnosed with a “bad bone bruise.”

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has been diagnosed with a “bad bone bruise” and is considered day-to-day, general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Tuesday.

Teixeira left Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins after he hit a foul ball off his leg in the sixth inning. The Yankees said Monday night that X-rays were negative and that he had suffered just a bruised lower leg. A battery of tests on Tuesday, including an MRI, X-ray and CT scan, revealed a bone bruise.

“Thankfully, it is a bone bruise,” Cashman said, according to ESPN.com. “Not thankfully, it is a bad bone bruise so he is day-to-day.”

On Tuesday, manager Joe Girardi said Teixeira was sore and would not likely be in the lineup on Tuesday night.

• Yankees’ Bryan Mitchell struck in face by line drive, leaves game

With the count full, Teixeira fouled a pitch off the inside of his right knee but stayed in to finish the at-bat. He then hit a ground ball foul and grimaced as he followed through. The next pitch was a ball inside and Teixeira appeared to be in significant pain as he limped to first base. Greg Bird replaced him as a pinch runner. 

Teixeira is batting .258 with a team-high 31 home runs and 79 RBIs this season. His .915 OPS is his highest since 2009, his first season with the Yankees. 

- Dan Gartland