Big blow to the Yankees: Mark Teixeira out for the rest of the season

(AP) The New York Yankees’ hopes of catching the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East will now have to withstand a big blow to their offense. Mark Teixeira, their slugging first baseman, is out for the rest of the season with a fractured leg.

Teixeira hasn’t played since Aug. 26. He’s tried injections in his leg to help the injury heal, but to no avail. The club announced Friday his season is over after a new MRI revealed a fracture in his leg.

This happens at the least opportune time for the Yankees, as they’re playing four games against the Jays starting Friday in New York. Toronto holds a 1.5 game lead in the division.

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Coming off a few disappointing, injury-riddled seasons, Teixeira’s bounce back was a great surprise for the Yankees this year. The 35-year-old hit 31 homers with 79 RBIs as the Yankees exceeded expectations in the East. It was his best season since 2010, the good ol’ days, when he was a perennial 30-homer, 100-RBI guy.

The Yankees (77-61) have gotten decent production out of 23-year-old rookie Greg Bird (five homers, 17 RBIs in 24 games), so he’ll plug in Teixeira’s spot in the lineup most days. But Teixeira has been New York’s most productive offensive player this season, so replacing him isn’t as easy as putting a rookie in his place.

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October still looks like a good possibility for the Yankees, who currently have a 4.5 game lead for the first AL wild-card spot. But that only earns them a one-game playoff with the other wild-card winner. The deep October run that fans were hoping would return to the Bronx this season may not be possible now.

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