Mark Teixeira sat out of the Yankees lineup again on Friday with his injured left pinkie, and he declined to even predict when he’d be back.
“It’s still really sore,” said Teixeira, who received three stitches on the hand after colliding with Tigers catcher Bryan Holaday while sliding home in Wednesday’s victory. “The tough part is gripping the bat.
Obviously, that’s a little concerning, but I’m going to keep working on it [Friday] and go out and stretch and run, get the blood flowing, hopefully that helps and stuff.”
But when asked if he thought he’d be able to return against the Indians over the weekend, Teixeira hardly sounded optimistic.
“I’ve never done this before so I have no idea how long it is going to take,’’ Teixeira said before the Yankees beat the Indians, 10-6 in The Bronx. “There’s a big cut and the bruising and the joint is probably strained a little bit, too. It’s just sore. I’m not sure if it will get worse [because of the work], but it definitely needs to get better.’’
Joe Girardi said the Yankees would continue to monitor the injury “day-by-day.”
“I think he’s improving,” the manager said. “But he’s still sore.”
It’s just the latest in a long list of maladies that have sidelined the first baseman this season, from light-headedness, to strained muscles to a sore wrist.
He also missed seven games with a strained left lat muscle and spent time on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain.
Despite all of the bumps and bruises, Teixeira leads the team with the 52 RBIs, one more than Jacoby Ellsbury for the team lead. And Teixeira’s 19 homers are also highest on the team.
Chase Headley was back at first, with Martin Prado at third and Ichiro Suzuki in right field. All three went 1-for-3.
“Those guys give us a lot of flexibility,” Girardi said.
Masahiro Tanaka played catch on Friday, 25 throws from 60 feet and 25 from 90 in a session that Girardi said was “very good.”
He still needs to advance to playing catch at 120 feet before advancing to the next step, which will be pitching off flat ground, according to Girardi.
Matt Daley was designated for assignment after allowing the game-winning homer in the 12th inning of Tuesday’s loss to Detroit.
Paul O’Neill will be honored before Saturday’s game. A plaque in his honor will be unveiled in Monument Park. It will be the second plaque dedication of the season, with O’Neill joining former teammate Tino Martinez in the honor.