Mark Teixeira on wrist: Doctors say soreness normal and fully expected
Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira watches his solo home run in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, April 27, 2014, in New York. Credit: AP / John Minchillo
Mark Teixeira said he felt far better Tuesday than he did Monday, but that won't stop him from stopping by to see his surgeon on the club's day off Thursday.
Teixeira was scratched from Monday's game because of inflammation in his surgically repaired right wrist, something the man who operated on the wrist, Dr. Keith Raskin of New York University Hospital, said was completely normal.
"He's 99 percent sure that this is inflammation from overuse and just completely expected," Teixeira said.
During spring training, Teixeira consistently said he was told by Raskin in the days after the July 2 surgery that some tightness and inflammation in the wrist was to be expected, probably all of the 2014 season.
"He was surprised I haven't had more flare-ups," Teixeira said Tuesday. "It's been pretty good all season."
Still, Teixeira said that to be safe, when he returns to New York tomorrow, "we'll probably do an ultrasound test," to make sure the repaired tendon sheath hasn't been damaged.
Teixeira, 34, said he hasn't ruled out playing in Wednesday night's series finale but with Thursday off, it's more likely the first baseman will take four days off.
But getting the extra rest isn't a simple solution.
Teixeira, hitting .248 with a .365 on-base percentage, nine homers and 25 RBIs, doesn't know if two days off or four days off or a full week or more will actually make the wrist feel significantly better. Raskin isn't sure, either.
"He said you kind of have to listen to your body," Teixeira said. "We don't really do that. We play until it hurts so bad that you can't play anymore. But he said next time it flares up where you feel like if you keep pushing through it, you're going to need to take three days off or two days off, take one versus the two or three."
Teixeira said the wrist hasn't felt especially good "the last week," targeting last Wednesday night in Chicago after a 13-inning victory over the Cubs when it didn't feel right. He played the first two games of the White Sox series Thursday and Friday before mentioning the soreness to Joe Girardi. Teixeira, who is taking anti-inflammatories, played Saturday and Sunday and was scratched from Monday afternoon's game.
He said "in hindsight," he should have said something to Girardi before Thursday's game and given himself a rest.
Girardi said Tuesday that he'll probably start watching Teixeira "a little closer" as far as giving him days off, whether they're wanted or not.
"I talk about trying to be proactive and protecting players from themselves and sometimes they frown upon that," Girardi said. "But it's some of the things you have to think about."
Teixeira, who said he is not yet worried about the condition of the wrist, didn't sound like a player quite ready to volunteer to take days off, but probably won't fight them.
"It's tough taking days off when you feel good," he said. "I just need to . . . maybe that day where it's a little bit more sore than it usually is, or a little stiffer than it usually is, be smart about it and say, 'Hey, maybe this is my body telling me today is the day.' But when you're feeling good and you're getting hits and you're able to take your full round of batting practice, it's tough to say, 'I'm going to take off.' That's not how we're built."
