Yankees Mark Teixeira Suffers Yet Another Injury

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Texieira has a bone bruise after fouling a ball off his left foot Saturday against the Red Sox.

It has been a difficult season for Yankees Mark Teixeira, and there are few signs his situation going to get better soon. The 36-year-old first baseman has had a tough time just staying in the lineup in what is shaping up to be his final season in pinstripes.

A series of neck spasms forced Teixeira to the bench periodically early in the year. Then, a cartilage tear in his knee cost him the majority of June and threatened to end his season. He is still receiving regular injections of lubrication and anti-inflammatories to avoid further damage and will require surgery this winter. It’s far from clear that he can be something resembling an everyday player in the second half of 2016.

As if his luck hasn’t been bad enough, Teixeira added yet another injury to his growing list Saturday, when he fouled a ball off his left foot in the fourth inning of Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the Red Sox. He immediately dropped to the ground in pain, prompting immediate fears of another broken leg. Tex’s 2015 campaign ended prematurely after fracturing his shin in a similar manner.

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On the plus side, Teixeira did stay in the game and the initial X-rays came back negative. That hardly means the Yankees first baseman is out of the woods, however, as bone bruises can be extremely painful and take a long time to heal.

Even when he’s been on the field, Teixeira has been miserable this season. He’s hitting just .186/.263/.305 (52 wRC+) through his first 251 plate appearances for the Yankees. Another nagging issue to deal with while he tries to get himself straightened out is the last thing he needs. Between his knee, neck, and the lingering effects of the wrist surgery that kept him out most of 2013, he has enough of those already.

After Saturday’s loss, Teixeira expressed his frustration to Yankees beat writer Ryan Hatch of NJ.com, telling him, “It’s been a tough season. You kind of think the worst when things like that happen. Hopefully, it’s nothing.”

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If Teixeira does require additional rest, rookie Rob Refsnyder likely remains the Yankees primary backup at the position, although it will be interesting to see if anything comes of Alex Rodriguez’s reported willingness to pick up a glove again and give first base another try.