Mark Teixeira (bone bruise) will be on crutches, no timetable for return

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira will use crutches for “a few days” to help the bone bruise in his right leg heal, manager Joe Girardi told reporters Tuesday.

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira will use crutches for “a few days” to help the bone bruise in his right leg heal, manager Joe Girardi told reporters Tuesday. 

The bone bruise is “significant,” Girardi added, but there is no fracture. 

Teixeira was injured in the Yankees’ game on Aug. 17 when he fouled a ball off the inside of his right knee. He started at first base in the Yankees’ loss to the Houston on Aug. 25 but his leg was too sore to start the following day. He appeared as a pinch hitter and has not played since. 

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“His bone bruise has not healed at all,” general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday, according to NJ.com. “He has some soft tissue inflammation and some inflammation around the nerve so he received some sort of injection to calm that down. But obviously the bone bruise is the big issues and there has been no healing.”

Teixeira will be out for at least another two weeks, Cashman added. 

Rookie Greg Bird has filled in at first during Teixeira’s absence. He is batting .261 with 10 RBIs and a .753 OPS in the 13 games since Teixeira was injured. 

Teixeira’s injury leaves the Yankees without another healthy true first baseman. Manager Joe Girardi has said he could use Alex Rodriguez in that role but Cashman said he prefers to have third baseman Chase Headley play first if Girardi wants to give Bird a rest. 

- Dan Gartland