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Yankees happy to get Teixeira back in lineup

First baseman goes through full batting practice before finale with A's

OAKLAND -- The Yankees allowed themselves a sigh of relief on Sunday morning when Mark Teixeira arrived at the O.co Coliseum and announced that he was ready to play, one day after a sore left rib cage knocked him out of the lineup.

"I'm sure I'll be all right," said Teixeira, who went through a full batting practice and reported no issues.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi was relieved to learn that Teixeira's issue was not related to the oblique, which could have necessitated a stint on the disabled list. Teixeira leads the Yankees in homers (11) and RBIs (31).

"He's a big home run threat. He's an RBI guy," Girardi said. "He's huge in the middle of the order between some lefties; a switch-hitter that really does damage against left-handers if they want to bring in a lefty to face some of our guys."

Teixeira likened the issue more to a spasm below his left shoulder.

"We're not sure exactly what it is," Girardi said. "I think we all wake up with some aches and pains some days, and the next day, you feel a lot better. It's hard to say what exactly it was."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat.
Read More: New York Yankees, Mark Teixeira