Cashman: Yankees are set with Teixeira and Ackley at first base

Earlier today, it was reported that first baseman Greg Bird will miss the entire 2016 season as he recovers from a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Although Bird was expected to impact the big league club at some point this season, GM Brian Cashman feels the team is set at the first base position.

Yankees will seek 1B insurance at AAA rather than a MLB 1B (Alvarez, Morneau, etc.). Cashman says they are set with Teixeira & Ackley.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 1, 2016

For the time being, Cashman says the Yankees are comfortable heading into the 2016 season with Mark Teixeira and Dustin Ackley holding down the first base position.  Instead of looking for insurance at the Major League level, it’s likely the Yankees try to add minor league depth at the position.

With Bird’s injury, the Yankees desperately need Teixeira to stay healthy this season. The switch-hitting first baseman hasn’t played in more than 150 games since 2011, which could definitely be a cause for concern for the Yankees.

As a backup, Dustin Ackley could see some extended playing time at first base this season. Ackley isn’t typically known as a first baseman, but he does has some collegiate experience to go along with a total of 106.1 innings at the position in the big leagues. It’s very likely the Yankees use Ackley at first base a few times a week to give Teixeira a rest.

If you were hoping for the Yankees to sign a big league free agent such as Pedro Alvarez, it doesn’t appear very likely to happen. The organization will likely add depth at the Triple-A level, but will look internally to fill the void left by Bird’s absence.