NEW YORK -- The Yankees are not certain if Mark Teixeira will be available to play first base during this series against the Orioles, and manager Joe Girardi says that he plans to stick with Rob Refsnyder at the position rather than experiment with Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said that he took ground balls over the All-Star break after seeing his role reduced to a part-time designated hitter. He worked out at first base on Friday with infield coach Joe Espada, but Girardi said that he does not yet view Rodriguez as a legitimate option to start.
"He's just had the one day of work, so I'm not ready to commit to that yet," Girardi said. "Right now I'm going with Ref there. Alex is DHing tonight. ... It's something that we'll continue to talk about, but we'll stick to Ref for now."
Refsnyder, 25, had never played first base professionally before this season, but the converted outfielder says that he is gaining comfort at the position. Monday marked Refsnyder's 21st game and 17th start at first base for the Yankees.
Teixeira had X-rays and a CT scan after fouling a ball off his left foot in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Red Sox, both of which came back negative. Teixeira said that he is still sore and would not be able to play on Monday, and Girardi said that he doesn't expect Teixeira to play on Tuesday either.
"My goal every day is to go in and say, 'Can I play today?'" Teixeira said. "Today is a no-go, but hopefully [Tuesday]. Who knows? I want to be back as soon as possible."
Teixeira is batting just .186 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 63 games this season. His season ended last year due to what was eventually revealed to be a fractured right leg, sustained when he fouled a ball off himself in an Aug. 17 game against the Twins.
"I wasn't as concerned, because last year, the next day I felt 10 times worse," Teixeira said. "[Sunday] I woke up and I felt better, and it's gotten better today. I knew something was wrong last year; that's the worst pain I've ever been in on a baseball field. There's a big difference, so I don't think we're going to be in that same situation."
Worth noting
The Yankees reinstated outfielder Mason Williams from the 60-day disabled list on Monday after a Minor League rehab assignment, and they optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Williams, 24, is coming back from right shoulder surgery and is currently rated as the Yankees' No. 16 prospect by MLBPipeline.