The NY Yankees could look into a trade for Chase Headley with the San Diego Padres after first baseman Mark Teixeira went down with a hamstring injury, as third baseman Kelly Johnson will now take over 1B for New York and that could open things up for Joe Girardi as the star hits the DL for the second season in a row.
Teixeira was injured last season and missed nearly the entire year with a wrist issue and now according to ESPN.com, he was placed on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury. Teixeira was injured in the game against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Friday night and after the game he was frustrated and said it may end in a DL stint and now that is what has happened for the team. The report says that it was a serious enough injury for him to take the DL and now Kelly Johnson will move over from third base to take over.
This wasn't unexpected for the Yankees, but losing Teixeira again is a big hit for the team and that is one reason why they could explore a trade for Headley. Teixeira will have an MRI on Monday back in New York and that could keep him out longer depending on what shows up. The team lost Teixeira for 147 games last season and he missed 39 games back in 2012 and now he is back on the DL again after not missing that much time early in his career.
The Yankees signed Johnson as their third baseman after Alex Rodriguez was suspended for the season and now Yangervis Solarte and Dean Anna, two rookies, will split time at 3B. The Yankees will try that for a bit and if things don't work out, they could try and snag Headley, who has been mentioned in trade rumors for the past couple seasons. Headley started off the season with three hits in six games and he comes in after hitting .250 last season with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs in 141 games and the previous season he set career highs with 31 home runs and 115 RBIs while playing in 161 games, which tied for the most in his career.
The Yankees knew that an injury to Teixeira was a possibility with him coming off of serious wrist surgery, but now he has the hamstring to deal with and that puts New York in a tough position. The team has the oldest infield in the league this season and with Teixeira and Derek Jeter coming off of injuries from last season, it means that half of the infield for the Yankees is a bit hobbled and now they can't afford another injury to one of their prime players. On top of that, the team signed Brian Roberts to be their everyday second baseman this season and he is coming in after being injured in each of the last four seasons, meaning that he also runs the risk of going down.
The Yankees are opening at home after being on the road and the pressure is up even more this season with it being the last one for Derek Jeter.