TAKING A HIT: First baseman Mark Teixeira grabs his knee after being hit by an Alfredo Aceves cutter during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 4-2 victory over the Red Sox last night at Fenway Park. (Anthony J. Causi)
BOSTON — Following the bottom of the sixth inning last night, Yankees assistant trainer Steve Donahue told Mark Teixeira he wouldn’t be playing the whole game.
“You’re not going back out there,” Donahue said to the first baseman.
Teixeira suffered a bruised right knee in the Yankees’ 4-2 victory when he was drilled in the back of the knee by Boston’s Alfredo Aceves in the top of the sixth.
Teixeira initially stayed in to run in the top of the inning and play defense in the bottom of it, but he was forced to leave before the bottom of the seventh as the knee stiffened up.
And he might have to miss some time this weekend.
How long will Teixeira be out? The severity of the bruise is unknown.
Derek Jeter suffered a bruised knee in Baltimore last weekend and had to miss two games. Jeter fouled a ball off the front of his knee, causing the bruise.
“I don’t know if I’ll have him [tonight],” manager Joe Girardi said of Teixeira.
Teixeira was hit by an 83-mph cutter, which may have spared him some pain because a 97-mph heater likely would have been a lot more damaging. Still, when it happened — on the first pitch of his at-bat — Teixeira went down hard. He got up but hunched over, and Girardi and Donahue came out to look at him.
Teixeira stayed in for the next batter, as Robinson Cano hit an inning-ending groundout. In the bottom of the sixth, Teixeira was on the field at first base but did not have to make a play. He was done after that, replaced at first base in the seventh by Nick Swisher.
“It got just real stiff. I couldn’t move,” Teixeira said. “It’s real stiff right now.”
Teixiera, who did not have
X-rays, wore a wrap on his right leg in the clubhouse. His absence would rank as a major problem, considering his value to the team offensively and defensively. Teixeira’s not only a fearsome slugger (35 homers) and run producer (100 RBIs), but he’s also a switch hitter and a superb Gold Glove first baseman. Making matters worse, Alex Rodriguez is has been battling a sprained left thumb and has missed the last five games.
If Teixeira misses some time, Swisher could slide in to play first base, with Andruw Jones playing right field. The Yankees also could use Jorge Posada or Eric Chavez at first and keep Swisher in right. Chavez has been mostly a third baseman throughout his career. He has played four games at first, including two this season. — Additional reporting
by George A. King III