(
)
BOSTON — There is a strong chance the Yankees will play the most important 22 games of the season without Mark Teixeira.
Yesterday, the AL East leaders announced the results of an MRI taken on the switch-hitting first baseman’s left calf and the news was bad.
Teixeira — who missed 10 games from Aug. 28 through Friday, returned Saturday in Baltimore when he re-injured the leg and sat out Sunday’s win — has an irritation of a Grade 1 left calf strain.
Examined yesterday by club physician Chris Ahmad, Teixeira will be out 10 to 14 days.
Considering Teixeira admitted Sunday he wasn’t ready to return Saturday after missing 10 games, the latest setback could sideline him longer than 14 days.
There is time for Teixeira to heal and be ready for the postseason, if the Yankees get there. They lead the Orioles by one game and the Rays by two going into tonight’s action.
The Rays and O’s open a three-game series in Baltimore and the Yankees start three against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Teixeira would be out until Sept. 24 at Minnesota, if the leg takes 14 days to heal, which would cover 12 games.
If it takes longer, the postseason could be in jeopardy.
“When I come back in a week or whatever, I am going to make sure it’s better than 80 percent — but it’s not going to be 100 percent,’’ Teixeira said before the MRI was taken.
Because the Yankees went 3-6 in this most recent stretch without Teixeira in the lineup and are 10-12 overall when he doesn’t start, it’s not a comfortable feeling knowing their second-leading RBI man with 81 is missing.
Helping remove the sting of possibly losing Teixeira for the remainder of the regular season is the Yankees’ remaining schedule is soft as yogurt.
Outside of Tampa Bay and Oakland, which the Yankees play six times — all at home — the AL East leaders have 16 games against teams with losing records.
Who could have predicted the Red Sox would be 63-78 and in the AL East basement?
Starting tonight at Fenway Park, the Yankees have six versus the Red Sox; three in New England’s living room and three to end the season in The Bronx.
After the Rays vacate Yankee Stadium on Sunday, the Blue Jays drop in for three. Then it’s the surprising A’s for three weekend games that are followed by three against the lowly Twins in Minnesota and four with the Blue Jays in Toronto.
The combined records of the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Twins going into last night’s action was 185-235. The Twins’ 59-82 ledger is tied for the worst in the American League.
After playing 10 games against the Orioles and Rays (going 4-6), there is the danger of thinking the Red Sox won’t put up much of an effort.
“At this point, we can’t have a letdown,’’ Derek Jeter said. “I don’t care what their record is, we don’t have the luxury to let down.’’
Jeter enters the three-game series as the Yankees’ hottest hitter. After starting play on Sept. 4 in a 4-for-31 (.129) rut, Jeter is batting .500 (14-for-28) in the past six games.
Without Teixeira, Jeter needs Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson to join Alex Rodriguez, Russell Martin, Ichiro Suzuki and him in the production department.
Swisher is in a horrific 3-for-45 (.067) slump across the last dozen games. Since suffering a hamstring problem on Sept. 1, Granderson is 5-for-22 (.227) in the past eight games and that includes Sunday’s 3-for-3, five-RBI performance off the bench. In Granderson’s last 47 at-bats he has eight hits (.170).
george.king@nypost.com