Teixeira "Definitely" an Everyday First Baseman, Cashman Says

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira struggled to stay healthy in 2014, but team GM Brian Cashman said that won't affect his role in the future.

Cashman, speaking at last week's Winter Meetings, instead assured reporters Teixeira will start again next year, claiming the veteran won't go through the same wrist issues he has in the past. Those problems and others limited Teixeira to just 123 games last season, a campaign in which he hit just .216.

“I think Mark Teixeira is definitely an everyday first baseman,” Cashman told NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. “I think he’ll prove that this year. I think last year is something he felt will be part of the process and he feels it won’t be part of this year’s process."

Yankees fans probably hope that means Teixeira's offensive numbers will go back up, as the veteran's coming off the worst year at the plate of his career. His aforementioned batting average, 22 home runs and 62 RBIs were all personal lows, excluding the numbers he put up in 15 contests in 2013.

And those stats weren't the only ones to slip, with the infielder's on-base and slugging percentages also reaching just .313 and .398, respectively. 

"In terms of his recovery and rehab, last year was expected for him," Cashman said. "And that won’t be expected going forward.”

Teixeira is just one of many uncertainties for the Yankees as they prepare to play without Derek Jeter for the first time since 1994, Masahiro Tanaka and Carlos Beltran being two of the notable others. 

But Teixeira seems to be the most prominent due to his contract, which is set to pay him $22.5 million over each of the next two seasons. That annual salary trails only CC Sabathia's for highest on the club, more than Alex Rodriguez's and Michael Pineda's combined.