Knife fight
Teixeira: I’ll play through pain to avoid surgery
Mark Teixeira admitted the torn cartilage in his right knee isn’t going to “magically” get better, but he would rather try to play with the injury than guarantee that his 2016 season is over.
That’s why the first baseman and the Yankees are hoping that three weeks of rest and treatment will reduce the discomfort and allow him to get back on the field — because the procedure to repair the cartilage comes with a 4-6 month recovery period.
“I’m gonna try everything I can,” Teixeira said Tuesday. “My season is over if I have surgery. That’s not a good option for a lot of different reasons. We’re gonna do everything we can to play without pain — or play without too much pain — this season.”
At this point, it seems the Yankees are just rolling the dice, because there are no other alternatives that wouldn’t sideline him for the rest of the year. And because it is a partial tear, the injury could get worse.
Teixeira admitted that surgery — which he had on his left knee in 2007 — is likely inevitable after the season, but he’s trying not to think that far ahead.
“Our whole focus is ‘Can I get through this season?’ and we determined that yes, I can get through this season — or we hope I can get through this season,” Teixeira said. “At the end of the season, I’ll worry about how it feels. If it feels OK and I play through it OK, I don’t want the surgery. The surgery’s not a fun surgery.”
He knows that with Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran on the roster, he isn’t likely to get much time as a DH.
“That’s the unfortunate thing,” Teixeira said. “I’ll be a first baseman.”
Teixeira, who can be a free agent after the season, reiterated his future beyond this year is very much up in the air.
“I’m not even thinking about that,’’ Teixeira said. “Next year doesn’t matter to me right now. It’s all about getting through this season and trying help this team win.”
He’ll likely get a cortisone shot and a Synvisc injection to reduce inflammation. And he could use a brace if he does get back on the field.
“I really believe it’s gonna be a day-to-day thing that we have to manage,” Joe Girardi said.
Girardi started Rob Refsnyder at first against lefty David Huff on Tuesday night and said he was confident Refsnyder and Chris Parmelee could handle the position in Teixeira’s absence.
➤ Austin Romine was behind the plate again Tuesday, with southpaw David Huff on the mound for the Angels, but Girardi said he is not going to a platoon with Romine and Brian McCann.
“It’s McCann’s job, but there are situations where if you’re gonna give a guy a day off, you want [the replacement] to be in the best position to have success.”
Romine went 1-for-4 with an RBI in the 6-3 win.
At Triple-A Scranton/WilkesBarre, catching prospect Gary
Sanchez, who is on the DL with a fractured right thumb, has begun taking some grounders at first.
Luis Severino is slated to make his second start Wednesday since being optioned to SWB.