Mark Teixeira (knee) hopes to rejoin Yanks after 3-game stay in minors

MINNEAPOLIS --New York Yankees first basemanMark Teixeira will take Monday off before heading to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a three-game rehab assignment, manager Joe Girardi said Sunday. After that brief stint in the minors, the plan is for Teixeira to take Friday off before returning to the majors on Saturday.

Teixeira hasn't played since a June 3 matchup with the Baltimore Orioles. He left that game with discomfort in his right knee, which was later confirmed as a cartilage tear.

"We really didn't know what to expect," Teixeira said when he first learned of the injury. "We were hoping for the best. And so far it's been best-case scenario. So we are hoping the knee doesn't act up."

Though he has passed the necessary on-the-field test to clear him for the rehab assignment in the minors, perhaps the most promising moment for Teixeira in the recovery process was when he was simply able to walk around the clubhouse again.

"The crazy thing about what I had was [while] walking my knee would lock up," Teixeira said. "So walking around the clubhouse was a good first step."

Teixeira said since then he has grown more comfortable fielding grounders, taking batting practice and running the bases.

"Everything has felt good since two or three days after the injection," Teixeira said. "That's been a positive."

Teixeira said the goal is to play first base, designated hitter and first base, respectively, during his three-game stay in the minors.

"I've got to make sure it bounces back," he said. "It's no good here if I can only play every other day or something. I think three games will give us a good opportunity to test it."

When he finally returns to the lineup, Girardi said he understands it's something he will have to monitor closely throughout the season.

"It's probably going to be a thing where I'm going to have to check with him every day," Girardi said.

Teixeira has struggled at the plate this season, hitting .180 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 48 games, but he is trying not to think about that. He also isn't using his injuries as an excuse.

"I'm going to put that behind me whenever I get back on the field with the Yankees," Teixeira said. "Because hopefully the injuries are behind me and I can just go out there and play and be healthy and produce."