Yankees to hold ceremony for retiring Mark Teixeira
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Yankees will honor Mark Teixeira in a ceremony before the regular-season finale Oct. 2 against Baltimore.
The 36-year-old first baseman announced in August his plans to retire after the season.
Teixeira has played 14 seasons and has 406 home runs. Only four switch-hitters in major league history have more - Mickey Mantle (536), Eddie Murray (504), Chipper Jones (468) and Carlos Beltran (419).
A member of the Yankees' 2009 World Series championship team, Teixeira led the league that year with 122 RBIs and tied for the league lead with 39 homers. He finished second in the AL MVP vote.
He has been injured much of this season and is hitting .198 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs.
Teixeira is a three-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger winner. He joined the Yankees as a free agent in 2009, signing an eight-year contract. He also played with Texas (2003-07), Atlanta (2007-08) and the Los Angeles Angels (2008).
TEIX'S REPLACEMENT?
1B Greg Bird, sidelined all season following surgery in February to repair a right labrum tear, is taking batting practice with the Yankees' instructional league team in Tampa, Florida and remains on target to face live pitching next week. Bird, set to play in the Arizona Fall League next month, and Tyler Austin are the two top in-house candidates to replace Teixeira in 2017. "We're all fighting for a job," Bird said. "The best players play. It will make both of us better I think, and that's what you want."
HELPING ARRIVING SOON?
OF Aaron Hicks (right hamstring strain) hit with Bird and feels "game-ready." The Yankees haven't ruled out Hicks rejoining the team during a three-game series at Tampa Bay that begins Tuesday night. CF Jacoby Ellsbury is day to day after bruising his right knee sliding into a bullpen wall trying to make a catch Saturday at Boston. Right fielder Aaron Judge is expected to miss the rest of the regular season because of a strained oblique. Yankees manager Joe Girardi watched part of Monday's instructional league workout.