TAMPA — Welcome to Camp MRI, where Mark Teixeira is the latest big name to light up like a Christmas Tree.
Ten days after losing leading home run hitter Curtis Granderson until at least early May, the Yankees learned from team doctor Chris Ahmad they will be without Teixeira for 8-to-10 weeks with a strained ECU tendon in the right wrist. The first four weeks will consist of complete rest.
“This ain’t good,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said while sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of the Yankees’ clubhouse with his broken leg and dislocated ankle in a cast — injuries suffered while skydiving earlier this week.
No, it’s not. And simply because the 8-to-10-week time frame was applied to Teixeira’s injury doesn’t mean you can expect the switch-hitting first baseman back by the third week in May.
Cashman said the injury was similar to Toronto’s Jose Bautista last year, and that is not good for the Yankees. Bautista was injured on July 17, played two games (Aug. 24-25) then had season-ending surgery.
Unlike when they lost Granderson to a fractured right forearm, the Yankees don’t have depth to cover Teixeira’s loss.
The cleanest way to replace Teixeira is to shift Kevin Youkilis from third to first, where he has played more games and won a Gold Glove in 2007. Youkilis has played 607 at first base, 442 at third.
Moving Youkilis likely would force the Yankees to move Eduardo Nunez from Derek Jeter’s backup at short to third, a switch the Yankees are leery of doing because they believe moving Nunez around last year led to his fielding problems.
However, Dan Johnson and Juan Rivera are the other in-house options, and neither instills hope. Rivera is an outfielder with limited experience at first. And DH Travis Hafner is not a candidate — Cashman compared Hafner’s specialist role to “a field goal kicker.”
Free agents Carlos Lee and Scott Rolen are available. Lee is a 36-year-old right-handed hitting first baseman who could have signed with several clubs already for very low money and didn’t. According to a person familiar with Rolen’s thinking, the former Gold Glove third baseman would be interested if the Yankees called. He will be 38 on April 4.
The trade market is super-model thin and not attractive to Cashman.
“We’ll see. We’ve got three or more weeks to go with what we have here as well as evaluate what’s elsewhere,” he said. “We’ll just wait and see. What we have in our camp is what we’ll continue to evaluate, and we have at our disposal potential casualties from other camps.
“It’s not the time of year to try to make any moves. Usually movement takes place after the draft, unless people are trying to cut garbage. It’s kind of like a baby pool. A lot of kids pee in it.’’
Joe Girardi had a brief conversation with Youkilis about first base, but the manager and GM didn’t sound like that was something they were hot to try.
“Third base is very difficult. First base is always an easier position to fill than third,’’ Cashman said.
Girardi left the door open for Youkilis moving across the diamond, but his initial thought was to leave Youkilis at third.
“Our plan is for him to be our third baseman,’’ Girardi said. “I can’t tell you exactly what will happen between now and then, but our plan is for him to play third. He could play first though.’’
Cashman needed to digest the terrible news on Teixeira before focusing on one name.
“Whatever the best option is, if that happens to be the best option when Opening Day comes around, then that’s what we’ll gravitate to,’’ Cashman said. “We’ve got time to evaluate all options.’’
None of which at this time seems good.
george.king@nypost.com