Teixeira aiming for April 20 return to roster

NEW YORK -- Mark Teixeira said that he expects to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on April 20 against the Rays in St. Petersburg, the first day that the Yankees' first baseman would be eligible.

Teixeira, 34, said that his workout on Saturday included swinging a bat and running drills at Yankee Stadium, both of which went well. He has not felt discomfort in his right hamstring, which he strained on April 4 in Toronto.

"This is a very minor injury," Teixeira said. "If it was the second half of the season, I'd still be playing. This is a very minor thing, where when it's early, it's cold, the team just doesn't want to push it in April."

Teixeira said that he will travel with the team to Florida and could quickly collect at-bats at the Minor League complex in Tampa, Fla., before being activated.

"I can get the old five at-bats in five innings, six at-bats in six innings, which is great because it's very efficient," Teixeira said. "You can see as many pitches as you want to."

Manager Joe Girardi is looking forward to reinserting Teixeira into the heart of the batting order.

"It obviously gives you a big hitter in the middle again, a switch-hitter, and it allows you to move some people around a little bit more," Girardi said. "We count on him a lot in the middle of the order. A switch-hitter just makes our lineup harder to navigate through."