Joe Girardi will check with Mark Teixeira daily to see if Teixeira’s lacerated left pinkie is well enough to play.
“He is day by day, and we will see how many days he needs here,’’ the Yankees manager said of the switch-hitting first baseman, who required three stitches to close a gash suffered sliding hand-first into home plate in the eighth inning of Wednesday night’s 5-1 over the Tigers at Yankee Stadium.
Teixeira slid wide of home and reached for the plate with his hand because he believed catcher Bryan Holaday was blocking the plate and was unsure about the new rules that were put in for tag plays at the plate this season.
“It’s probably been the most confusing change,’’ Girardi said. “For the most part it has worked because catchers aren’t getting run over, but sometimes players are a little confused. In watching the play [Holaday] was not blocking the plate without the ball. When you do that you are allowed to run them over but a lot of times things happen so fast you are not sure what happened.
“We tell [the players] if they are blocking the plate you can run them over. That hasn’t changed, but you don’t want players to go out of their way to hit someone.’’
Add Bryan Mitchell to the growing list of home-grown talent the Yankees are relying on to get them to October.
While the 23-year-old right-hander won’t take David Phelps’ scheduled start Friday night against the Indians at Yankee Stadium, he will be available out of the bullpen.
Mitchell was scheduled to start Thursday night for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but didn’t.
Mitchell, who drew a lot of interest at last week’s trade deadline, is 5-6 with a 4.27 ERA in a combined 19 games (18) starts between Double-A Trenton and SWB this year. He was 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in five starts for SWB this year.
Girardi said Esmil Rogers will start Friday.
Rogers, starting for Toronto’s Triple-A Buffalo affiliate when claimed on waivers last Thursday, was 2-2 in 14 games (seven starts). His last six games were starts and in the final three the righty worked six innings, 7²/₃ , and six innings.
Since joining the Yankees, Rogers has worked four scoreless innings in two relief stints.
Girardi moved Chase Headley (1-for-3 with a walk) from third to first to replace Teixeira against Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello in Thursday’s 1-0 win. That necessitated bringing Martin Prado (1-for-4) from right field to third base and Ichiro Suzuki took over for Prado in right.
Girardi’s other choices at first were Brian McCann, who has started nine games at first this season and Prado, who has yet to play the position as a Yankee.
Girardi sat McCann, using Francisco Cervelli to catch Shane Greene, a combination that has worked well for the rookie pitcher, who contributed eight-plus shutout innings.
“Number one, he is used to taking ground balls, it’s something he does,’’ Girardi said of Headley who started at first for the second time as a Yankee.
Headley also replaced Teixeira for the ninth inning Wednesday.
“When you look at Prado or you look at Headley, neither one of them have a ton of an experience over there. I talked to Chase and gave him a little bit more of a heads up. He has played over there a couple of times so I would keep it that way.’’
The Yankees placed Ichiro and Brendan Ryan on waivers.
The Yankees can pull both players back from waivers and negotiate a trade if a team places a claim, or they can rescind the waiver, meaning both players would be back on their 40-man roster. The Yankees also can allow a claim of either player, whereby the team posting the waiver claim picks up the rest of that player’s contract.
Masahiro Tanaka played catch from 60 and 90 feet and the goal is to get him to 120 feet before the rehab program advances to possible mound work. Tanaka, who has participated in three throwing sessions to test the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, will travel with the club to Baltimore.
Girardi started Stephen Drew, who went 1-for-4 with a game-winning RBI double, at short, giving Derek Jeter the day off.
Jeter needs one more hit to tie Honus Wagner for sixth place on the all-time hit list at 3,430.
Drew said he is more comfortable at short but understands what is being asked of him as a Yankee.
“Definitely feel more comfortable [at short], it’s the only position I’ve ever played,” Drew said. “But at the same time, I’m making adjustments to second and helping the team.’’
Michael Pineda is scheduled to start for SWB Friday night against Columbus in Moosic, Pa. If all goes well, the righty’s next outing could be with the Yankees Wednesday in Baltimore.
Pineda’s last outing was Sunday for SWB against Syracuse when he hurled 3¹/₃ shutout innings, allowing three hits, a walk and fanned four. He threw 58 pitches and is scheduled to increase that to 75 Friday.
The original plan was for Pineda to make a third rehab outing consisting of 90 pitches, but that plan could be altered depending how he pitches Friday.
Seventeen of the Yankees’ last 18 games have been decided by two or fewer runs. The Yankees are 10-7 in those games.