Tex leaves with bone bruise in right thumb

CHICAGO - Mark Teixeira left Saturday night's game after the second inning with a bone bruise in the base of his right thumb, an injury he said occurred when he dived for a ball during Friday night's loss.

He categorized himself as "day-to-day" but didn't sound particularly hopeful about Sunday afternoon's game. "I'm going to come in early, get some treatment and we'll see how it feels," he said.

Teixeira, his hand heavily wrapped, said he woke up sore but thought going through his pregame work might loosen the thumb up. "I tried to take BP today," he said. "It was bothering me in BP. I thought that maybe adrenaline would kick in and I'd be all right for the game, but I had nothing. I was swinging with one hand."

Teixeira popped out in the first, then fielded Gordon Beckham's grounder and recorded the out to end the second inning. Then he went to Joe Girardi and said he couldn't go, a tough thing to admit for a player who rarely sits and with his team in a tight division race.

"That's why I tried to play," Teixeira said. "I've been lucky enough, I haven't missed a game because of injury all season. I've been able to stay healthy. I tried to play through it, but I wasn't going to do the team any good today."

After Curtis Granderson pinch hit for Teixeira in the third, Nick Swisher shifted from rightfield to first base. Brett Gardner went from center to left, Austin Kearns moved from left to right and Granderson took over in center.

Teixeira made his 127th start this season, with 120 of them coming at first and seven at designated hitter. The Yankees have played 129 games.