Mark Teixeira day to day with back spasms

The New York Yankees are trying to hang on in the interesting and unpredictable American League East. Tied with the Baltimore Orioles in second place and 3.5 games back of the first place Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees will now have to proceed with the status of first baseman Mark Teixeira in doubt, at least for the next couple days.

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Teixeira is day to day with back spasms, though the team’s diagnosis is rib cage tightness. According to John Feinsand of the New York Daily News:

"The official announcement was left ribcage tightness, though Teixeira said after the game the issue was in his back, just beneath his left shoulder.“This morning I woke up and was a little tight,” Teixeira said. “We tried to loosen it up, did a lot of treatment before BP. After BP, it really started spasming up on me. Joe (Girardi) thought it was best if I didn’t play tonight.“It’s in my mid-back, kind of below the left shoulder. Hopefully it’s a one-day thing.”"

This is the second injury to nag Teixeira this off-season, as he had to deal with a brief recurrence of the wrist injury that kept him out for most of the 2013 season.

The impressive thing about Teixeira’s season when he has been in the lineup has been the return of his power. While nobody is expecting him to bat .300, the 11 home runs and .463 slugging percentage that Teixeira has posted thus far is a big boost to a Yankees lineup that otherwise has no discernible production from their infielders.

The Yankees will hope to have their first baseman back in the lineup early this week.