Without Tex, Yanks test Ellsbury at No. 3

NEW YORK -- The Yankees are toying with their lineup now that Mark Teixeira has been deleted for at least two weeks, placed on the disabled list due to a strained right hamstring, and they are taking a closer look at Jacoby Ellsbury as the new No. 3 hitter.

Manager Joe Girardi slotted Ellsbury in the three-hole on Monday for the second time in as many days, using Brett Gardner as the leadoff hitter once more. Ellsbury had led off in his first four starts as a Yankee.

"We liked what we saw yesterday," Girardi said. "We like Gardy at the top of the order as well. It just gives us some options, and without Tex in the lineup, we have to change a little bit."

Ellsbury went 1-for-5 with an RBI in the Yanks' 6-4 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday in Toronto, and he entered Monday with seven hits in his last 14 at-bats.

Girardi said that the Yankees had a good idea of what their lineup would be entering the season, but losing Teixeira forced them to re-evaluate. Teixeira had an MRI exam on Monday morning in New York to determine the extent of his hamstring strain.

"When someone gets hurt, you have to adjust," Girardi said.