As if things were not going to be difficult enough. 

The Toronto Blue Jays added game-changing pieces to their roster before the non-waiver trade deadline, and a barrage of wins and a sprint up the American League East standings ensued. They have taken over the top spot with a behemoth offense and strong pitching staff, and it does not look like they are going to slow down anytime soon. 

That leaves the New York Yankees chasing a team that looks like it could be the league’s most complete. Meanwhile, the Yankees have a questionable rotation and an offense that showed real signs of regression over the last month—and now a prolonged injury could severely slash their chances of returning to the top of the standings.

After Mark Teixeira was re-examined by the team’s doctor Tuesday, it was determined the first baseman’s bone bruise to his right shin is more significant than the team originally believed. So now the 35-year-old All-Star, in the midst of a resurgent season, will be on crutches for a few days and is still several weeks from returning to the lineup. The injury happened Aug. 17, and Teixeira has started just once since then.

“His bone bruise has not healed at all,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Tuesday. “There is no stress fracture. That was the biggest worry because he hasn’t responded to [treatment]. But the bone bruise has not healed in any way, shape or form.” 

Teixeira is hitting .255/.357/.548, with a 149 OPS+, 31 home runs and 79 RBI this season. Needless to say, he has been one of the league’s top offensive performers this season, ranking fourth in OPS+ behind Nelson Cruz, Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson.

The Yankees and Blue Jays both won Tuesday night, so New York remains 1.5 games behind. The Bombers have won six of their last 10 games, but they lost ground to Toronto as it went 8-2 in that span.

So, how do the Yankees remedy this Teixeira situation?

The initial stopgap was hitting prospect Greg Bird. He had a 1.091 OPS and two home runs in his first five games with the Yankees, all wins. But in his next 11 contests entering Tuesday, he hit .211/.311/.237 and failed to hit another homer. Bird was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, and his struggles in his first call-up are being well-documented since they are coming in a time of need.

There is also the Alex Rodriguez option, which the Yankees can’t seem to agree upon. A-Rod went from one of the league’s best hitters during the first half to a guy who has significantly struggled in the second, particularly in August.

So it appears he won’t be able to fill the offensive void Teixeira’s absence left. And according to Cashman, Rodriguez will not spell Teixeira on the field, although manager Joe Girardi says the team needs A-Rod at first base while its best hitter is on the mend, per David Lennon of Newsday.

When Teixeira initially fouled a ball off his leg, just below his right knee, the team did not believe it would have to find a long-term replacement. The original diagnosis was Teixeira would miss about a week, 10 days at most.

That was manageable. The Yankees, in fact, got through that stretch without disappearing off the AL East radar completely. They went 5-5 over their next 10 games, though the offense struggled as they lost 2.5 games in the standings. Had Teixeira come back after that, things would not have seemed so terrible.

He has not, though.

“He’s going to be down for clearly an extended period of time,” Cashman told reporters. “They’ve ruled out any other complications. It’s a timing mechanism, and it’s just taking a hell of a lot longer than anybody would have expected.”

Since Aug. 18, the Blue Jays have gone 10-3. The Yankees have gone 8-6. New York has bandaged the bleeding by winning four of its last five, but it’s feasted on the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox, two clubs destined to finish miles under .500.

Once the Yankees finish up in Boston on Wednesday, things get more rugged. Their next six games are at home against the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles.

The four after that are also at home. Against the Blue Jays. Without Teixeira.

It’s the biggest, most critical series of both teams’ seasons. National television and media will descend. The microscope will be focused. And even with another series between the teams remaining after that, it is quite possible the division will be decided in those four days in the Bronx.

Now we know Teixeira, the Yankees’ best offensive weapon, will not be there. And that absence, at that time, could determine which team wins the series—and the division.

 

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise. 

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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