Mark Teixeira hoping to play 150+ games for New York Yankees

Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

2013 was a season to forget for New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. Limited to just 15 games, Teixeira missed nearly the entire season thanks to a torn tendon sheath in his wrist and spent much of the offseason rehabbing to get himself back into game shape. Sunday marked the first time that Teixeira stepped into the batting cages since arriving in Tampa for Spring Training, telling reporters afterwards that he feels good despite some occasional tightness in his wrist when he hits from the left side.

Finally healthy, Teixeira’s holding to ambitious goals for the 2014 season, as he told reporters including Bryan Hoch at MLB.com:

"I absolutely plan on playing 150+ games this year. That’s my goal. Every now and then I’ll have a day off, of course. That’s just natural. You get beat up a little bit during the season but I expect to have a healthy, productive season."

Last season was on a delayed start, as Teixeira didn’t make his season debut for the Yankees until the final day of May. He’d appear in just 15 games – struggling mightily at the plate with a .151/.270/.340 line in 63 PA – before landing back on the disabled list, only to undergo surgery on his wrist on July 1st. He reportedly has progressed through his recovery as expected without any setbacks.

Once one of the more consistent offensive threats at first base across the league, Teixeira has seen severe dips in his batting and on base averages since the 2010 season and missing a full year to injury didn’t help him turn things around. A switch hitter who’ll be 34 in early April, the Yankees would certainly welcome a return to form from their high-priced first baseman. With a career line of .278/.368/.525 across 11 seasons, Teixeira still holds a 162 games average of 37 HR and 119 RBI – numbers that would help boost an offense that could see solid production from a number of sources this coming season.