Teixeira plans to return before May ends

NEW YORK -- Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is pleased by his progress as he works his way back from a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist, and he hopes to rejoin the big league squad by the end of the month.

"It's great -- I couldn't be happier with my rehab," Teixeira said. "I'm looking at the end of May, sometime around the 30th or 31st maybe, to get back out there playing with the Yankees. I'm feeling great."

Teixeira has been working out at the Yankees' training complex in Tampa, Fla., and has been taking batting practice on the fields.

"I would say the next step would be some live BP; we're not there yet," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Then maybe some sim games, hopefully, then some rehab games. That's the progression, but we're still in the BP phase."

Girardi said that he did not want to put a timetable on Teixeira's return to the big league lineup.

"When he feels that he's ready," Girardi said. "Sometimes you worry about switch-hitters a little bit more because they may not be able to get 25 and 25 [swings], or whatever it is. The one thing about a simulated game is you can use your pitchers and give him swings from both sides. You may see him do a few more of those, as opposed to regular games."