TAMPA — Mark Teixeira is going to ease into spring training as he continues to rehab from right wrist surgery last year, but the first baseman believes he will play 150 games and be a middle-of-the-order run producer in a lineup that lost Robinson Cano.
“A tick behind,’’ said Teixeira, who had surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in the right wrist July 1 and was limited to 15 games. “It’s tight. Once it loosens up it’s OK.’’
The Yankees countered Cano splitting for Seattle by importing Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran to bolster a lineup that was leveled by injuries to Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Teixeira a year ago.
And while the additions are certainly upgrades, Teixeira needs to be the run producer he was in his first three years in pinstripes when he averaged 37 homers and 114 RBIs before an injuries resulted in the switch-hitting first baseman hitting 24 homers and driving in 84 runs in 2012.
“The team needs me. It’s something I take pride in, being out there and being healthy,’’ Teixeira.