Teixeira has fracture, won't return this season
NEW YORK -- Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is done for the season.
General manager Brian Cashman said Friday that an MRI and CT scan revealed that Teixeira, who was originally diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right leg, actually has a fracture. The first baseman's recovery process is at least three months and he won't suit up again with the Yankees this season. Cashman expects him to be ready by 2016.
"You can't really put into words how disappointed I am," Teixeira said. "I feel like this team has a chance to win a World Series. I really do. And not to be able to be on the field during that run is really tough to take."
Teixeira fouled a ball off of his right shin Aug. 17 against the Twins. He appeared in two games after that, but was unable to run and was still experiencing severe pain. On Sept. 4, the Yankees put him on the 15-day disabled list.
Video: MIN@NYY: Teixeira fouls ball off leg, leaves game
Initial testing didn't reveal a fracture, showing just a bone bruise. But Cashman said that based on Teixeira's inability to run, his consistent pain and a stagnant healing process, news that Teixeira actually has a fracture makes more sense.
"I believe it's been there all along," Cashman said. "A lot of times, [when] you're dealing with medicine, you treat the patient, not the MRI. And the patient was not responding at all to what a typical bone bruise issue was, so this clearly makes sense.
"There was something more going on here. And it's taken this amount of time to declare itself as something obvious in terms of the testing, but now on how the player's been complaining and not being able to run and do the things typical over the time frame that's been covered."
Asked if the Yankees would have considered looking into to picking up another player if they had known the extent of Teixeira's injury at the time, Cashman indicated that might have been a possibility. But he is pleased with the production rookie Greg Bird has given the Yanks in Teixeira's absence.
"We would have looked into potentially whatever options may have existed. I doubt that we would have secured anything that would have been doing as well as Greg Bird has been doing for us, regardless, so I take comfort in that," Cashman said. "But in reality, we would have looked at some other things to see what was available and what the price tags were associated on it. But if I pulled that trigger and brought something else in, then maybe Birdie doesn't get the opportunity he's gotten and earned."
Video: BAL@NYY: Bird hits three-run shot to put Yanks ahead
Teixeira was a force for the Yanks all season long, and Cashman gave him ample credit for the Yankees being in position to fight for the American League East title. The first baseman hit .255 with 31 homers and 79 RBIs in 111 games.
Teixeira had vowed he'd be back this season, but admitted Friday it was "wishful thinking." Now, his plan is to recover and begin his offseason program in November, like usual.
"I was trying to play. I was trying to play every single day. That's the way you have to go after it as an athlete," Teixeira said. "Until you know that it's broken, you're going to try to play every day."