It appears that first baseman Mark Teixeira is almost ready to return to the Yankees lineup.
Sounds like Mark Teixeira will play three rehab games for @swbrailriders beginning Tuesday. Goal is now to have him with Yankees Saturday.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 19, 2016
According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Teixeira will play in three rehab games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starting on Tuesday. If all goes well in those rehab games, the plan is for the 36-year-old to rejoin the Yankees on Saturday before the team’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
Teixeira has been sidelined since June 4 with a right knee articular cartilage tear in his right knee. It is still likely that the veteran first baseman will need surgery during the off-season, but team’s doctors determined that he could play through the injury if he elected to do so, stating that he could be ready to start a rehab assignment within three weeks of suffering the injury.
For the first time since suffering the injury, Teixeira was able to take part in light hitting drills this week as he works to get back on the field. On Thursday, Teixeira was able to take full batting practice, and said that he felt good afterwards. He plans on testing out his knee by running over the weekend.
Before landing on the disabled list, Teixeira was struggling at the plate, posting a slash line of .180/.271/.263 in 48 games. Teixeira is an important part of the Yankees lineup, and the team is hopeful that he will get back on track offensively once he returns to the everyday lineup.
