Kuzul

And so, as Swisher returns to the lineup, Girardi sits down [Mark Teixeira], who painted anything but a painless picture of the thumb and toe injuries he’s been playing with the past few weeks.

“I’ve been playing with a lot of pain the last two or three weeks and maybe this is going to help,” Teixeira said. “It’s been tough. This has been the toughest two or three week stretch I think I’ve had my whole career as far as dealing with pain.

“And the fact is, I haven’t been producing…It’s affecting my swing, on the bases, playing defense. I have to get healthy…If I’m on the field, I want to produce. I have to produce.”

To say Teixeira has been struggling is an understatement. Over his last 13 games, he’s hitting just .152 with a .463 OPS. He sat Saturday and didn’t start yesterday, but hopefully he’ll keep sitting until he’s 100 percent or close to it. Like Brian Cashman said earlier in the week, winning the division isn’t necessary. The most important thing is to have the team healthy and productive in October.