When the Yankees signed Kevin Youkilis in December in the wake of Alex Rodriguez’s hip injury, they liked how he hit left-handed pitchers and grinded out at-bats.

They also were aware of his recent back troubles.

General manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday Youkilis has a herniated disk in his back discovered after an MRI during a visit to Dr. Robert Watkins in southern California. The injury will require surgery on Thursday and will keep Youkilis out for 10 to 12 weeks.

“It’s not how you draw it up,” Cashman said. “There’s no doubt about that. Kevin is a helluva player when healthy. And he just hasn’t been in a position to show in season what he’s capable of doing because of the back.

“He looked great in the spring. We had high hopes. He obviously did so much for Boston over the years, and he’s the type of player that if you could draw it up that’s the type of player we would want — a gamer with power and plate discipline.”

Youkilis could return in September, but by then one of three things could happen — Rodriguez will have returned, a trade will be made or rookie David Adams will seize the opportunity.

For now, the job belongs to Adams since Rodriguez is progressing slowly. He was expected to face live pitching soon, but the team has not placed a timetable on a return.

As far trades go, the market is usually quiet after the draft, but often picks up after the All-Star break.

Adams will have about a month to improve on a .213 batting average mainly been caused by a 3-for-21 showing this month.

“We’re always looking to upgrade if we can, regardless of position,” Cashman said. “But you have to keep in mind too we expect to get Alex back. So as of right now, we’re going with what we have. And if we ever run into something that makes sense, then we’ll look at that. But we’ll keep going with what we got.”

Teixeira lands back on DL

When he hit three home runs against the Indians two weeks ago, Mark Teixeira sounded upbeat about the condition of his wrist.

“That first week I felt great,” Teixeira said. “You don’t look at stats too much in the beginning of the season, but I was like, ‘Man, I’ve been playing a week and I’ve got three home runs and 12 RBIs, I want to keep this pace up.’ [During the] middle of the Seattle series, I didn’t feel like I could finish my swing.

“Because of that I just tried to swing too hard. I was striking out way too much. Even swinging at good pitches [and] in Oakland and Seattle, I didn’t have carry; I flew out to the warning track twice, lazy flyballs, lazy popups. Because of that, I was like all right [hitting coach] Kevin [Long], maybe mechanically we can fix this. So we did some tee work, and not even at 100 percent it flared up on me.”

Two weeks later, following a 4-for-35 road trip, the good feelings have dissipated as the Yankees placed him on the disabled list with inflammation in his right wrist. The belief among the Yankees is that the injury will keep him out for two weeks.

“I think that when he started, he did [feel good],” manager Joe Girardi said. “I believe he was healthy when he came back. It could have just been the swings, the game got to him a little bit. But it’s inflammation, so inflammation didn’t cause it. It’s some sort of a weakness. As time goes on, the more inflamed you get, the harder it’s going to be, but when he came back he didn’t have that.”

Teixeira reinjured himself during the early innings of Saturday’s loss in Anaheim.

“On Saturday, I tried to take a few extra swings just to see if I could hit off a tee,” Teixeira said. “During the game, it just didn’t feel right. After the second at-bat, I told Kevin I can’t really swing right now. I was worthless to the team right there. I said we have to get it looked at. The MRI showed what I thought it was going to show.”

Teixeira’s first two weeks back from a torn sheath sustained during spring training produced mixed results. While he had two home runs and eight RBIs from the left side, he hit just .088 (3-for-35) compared with .278 (5-for-18) from the right side.

Until he starts a minor-league rehab assignment, Teixeira will stay with the team to work with Long. He said he adjusted mechanics to compensate for a wrist that was not 100 percent and the hope is he can solve those issues before returning.

Follow Yankees beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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One day after the Yankees said they weren’t planning to place Mark Teixeira on the disabled list with his reaggravated wrist injury, they’ve taken a slightly more negative tone.

Brian Cashman spoke to reporters on a conference call Monday and said they may need to give Teixeira more than a few days off.

“I’m leaning, personally, toward a disabled list there,” Cashman said.

An MRI on Sunday showed no further tear to the right wrist sheath which kept Teixeira out for two months. He already received a cortisone shot to treat inflammation. Initially it was believed he would not need to go on the 15-day DL.

The Yankees intentionally kept Lyle Overbay on the roster when Teixeira came back on May 31, just in case they needed him to spell Teixeira at first base. Overbay was thrown into the outfield, despite no experience, just to keep him on the roster.

Teixeira has struggled since his return from the DL. He went 1-of-9 in his first three games, but then hit three homers in four games and it appeared as if he was finding his groove despite the lack of spring training at-bats. But since hitting the last of those three home runs on June 6 he was just 3-for-31 with nine strikeouts.

After being removed from last Saturday’s game, hitting coach Kevin Long told reporters he did not think Teixeira had looking right since his return. Those comments drew some annoyance from Cashman on Monday.

“It is alarming that K-Long would say that to the group of reporters, but he has never said that prior to that,” Cashman said. “This is a lot of times how things work out when things go bad, things get said. If K-Long felt that way, we should have heard that from K-Long.”

Cashman did say he was not mad at Long, however.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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UPDATE: June 16, 2 p.m.

The Yankees have announced Mark Teixeira had an MRI on his injured right wrist Sunday, which revealed minor inflammation.

Teixeira had a cortisone shot and will rest for a few days.

The team has not put him on the disabled list, but it is unlikely he will play in the series against the Dodgers beginning Monday.

——————————————————-

For the third time this season the Yankees have gotten a slugger back from the disabled list — only to see them reinjured soon thereafter.

First baseman Mark Teixeira is the latest to face question marks, though he hasn’t officially returned to the disabled list as Kevin Youkilis did last week and Curtis Granderson did last month. Teixeira was removed from yesterday’s game in the fourth inning after two painful at-bats.

Teixeira tore a tendon sheath in his wrist in spring training and did not return to the lineup until May 31. After starting 1-for-9, he showed encouraging signs with three home runs in four games from June 3-6. But since then he is just 3-of-31 (.097) with nine strikeouts. He was hitless in his last 12 at-bats before leaving Saturday’s game.

The team has sent Teixeira back to New York to be re-examined by doctors.

“He just came to us and said he just feels like there’s not a lot of strength there,” manager Joe Girardi told reporters after Saturday’s loss. “I think he just doesn’t feel that he has the whip that he normally has hitting left-handed.”

So far, the Yankees are saying they are not concerned, but torn wrist sheaths have proven problematic in the past. Toronto’s Jose Baustista tore a wrist sheath in 2012, returned from the DL for just two games and then underwent season-ending surgery. Girardi said he did not believe Teixeira was in the same situation, “but he’ll see the doctor [Sunday] and he’ll evaluate it.” Red Sox slugger David Ortiz battled a partially torn wrist sheath for much of the 2008 season, sitting out three months.

Hitting coach Kevin Long admitted after the game on Saturday that Teixeira had been feeling some pain recently and had not been taking his usual batting practice before games.

The Yankees have currently lost five straight.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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Mark Teixeira’s season officially began last Friday against the Red Sox. As he went 1-for-9 in the weekend series, he often spoke about getting into a rhythm after missing three months with a right wrist injury.

After a pair of home-run swings on consecutive nights, Teixeira seems headed in the right direction.

Teixeira hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning and the Yankees didn’t need much more in a 4-3 victory over the Indians.

“A big home run and that’s two nights in a row,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I talked about he’s an RBI machine and that’s what he is.”

Teixeira now has four hits in 15 at-bats and three have gone to left field, including his home run off ex-Met prospect Scott Kazmir Tuesday night. Teixeira made it 4-0 by sending a 3-1 changeup over the left-field wall inside the foul pole.

Teixeira’s home run Tuesday came from the right side of the plate. It also came in the same inning as Monday when he hit a first-pitch sinker from Justin Masterson for a grand slam from the left side of the plate.

“Seeing the power is important for me because I want to commit to my swing,” Teixeira said. “The first couple of games back, you kind of feel for it, you don’t want to let it go and then that one hurt.

“I haven’t had that yet, so [I’m] just committing to the swing and hitting the home run left-handed and right-handed just kind of shows, ‘Ok, let it go,’ and that’s what I’ve always done. I’ve never tried to just punch up to the gaps or anything and it’s definitely a good sign for the wrists.”

Teixeira homered in consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 9-10, 2012 and in consecutive home games for the first time since July 25-26, 2011 against Seattle.

“I felt good in batting practice for a while so that was a good sign,” Teixeira said. “My batting practices when I was down in Tampa were pretty good, so I had a feeling that it was going to be OK. But game power is a little different. When a guy is throwing 95 [mph], it’s different than a coach lobbing it up to you.”

It seemed like the Yankees would not need the four runs, as David Phelps rebounded from last Wednesday’s nightmare start against the Mets. After allowing a five-run first inning, throwing 31 pitches and getting one out, Phelps was much improved Tuesday.

Phelps allowed an infield single to Drew Stubbs with one out in the third inning and that was it. However, he was unable to go beyond the sixth because he issued four walks and threw 102 pitches.

“I’d prefer not to battle but it’s something that I’ve had to be real accustomed to in my career,” Phelps said. “I’m not going to be a guy that’s going to throw fastballs by people. I got faith in my stuff that I can throw a strike.”

Phelps only had one source of significant trouble, which came in the fifth with walks to Mark Reynolds and Jason Giambi to lead off the inning. Following a mound visit by pitching coach Larry Rothchild and catcher Chris Stewart, Phelps fanned Mike Avilles looking on his fastball, got Stubbs to pop up to Teixeira and retired Michael Bourn on a shallow fly ball to center field.

“Even before Larry got out there, Stewy came out there and said think about throwing it in the middle of the plate,” Phelps said. “He focused kind of staying on the white of the plate instead of on the edges.”

Teixeira’s home run proved more critical when Joba Chamberlain struggled in the seventh and gave up a three-run home run to Stubbs with two outs in the seventh. Boone Logan struck out Bourn to end the inning before David Robertson and Mariano Rivera worked a scoreless inning apiece.

Robertson’s inning was not easy by any means. He put two on with none out, setting up an encounter with former teammate Nick Swisher. Swisher, however, lined a 1-1 pitch to second baseman Jayson Nix that turned into a 4-4-6 double play and Robertson easily finished the inning.

Follow Yankees beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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The good news was Andy Pettitte was on the mound and made it through without injury. The other positive news was Mark Teixeira found his swing for at least one at-bat by hitting a grand slam.

Neither was enough on its own to get the Yankees a win but some bizarre happenings in the bottom of the sixth inning meant the Yankees opened a three-game series with the Indians with a 7-4 victory Monday night.

Pettitte returned after missing two weeks with an upper back injury and allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He had a 4-1 lead entering the fifth and seemed in line for his 250th career win but gave up three runs in the inning and lost his chance at that milestone when Carlos Santana scorched a double into left field which deflected off the glove of third baseman David Adams and tied the game.

After going 1-for-9 in his first three games back from a wrist injury, Teixeira crushed a first-pitch sinker into the right-field seats for a 4-1 lead against Justin Masterson in the third inning.

The ball landed in the hat of a fan sitting in the front row and marked Teixeira’s first home run since Oct. 1 against Boston. He had four home runs in his 92 at-bats after Aug. 1 last year due to injuries and hitting his first home run after missing three months seemed to put an emotional charge into the switch-hitter.

“You just hope that it sneaks over the wall,” said Teixeira, who pumped his fist rounding first base. “I can’t hit it much better, but it didn’t get up in the air.”

“I think it’s going to take Tex some time to catch up in a sense,” Joe Girardi said. “These guys have all been playing two months and he’s been playing three or four days. I think his at-bats have been good and Tex is an RBI machine and we need that.”

The home run also seemed to spark an offense that had not scored more than four runs in nine straight games, including one in the final two games against the Red Sox combined. The offense also had hit .219 since a 6-4 win in Baltimore on May 20.

“You want to get into a rhythm. I’ve kind of said it a few times, the rhythm of just …  seeing pitches, knowing that you can let it go, you can drive the ball and you can play every day,” Teixeira said. “This is my sixth game in a row, which is a good sign for the wrist and the rest of the body.”

“The injury he had was probably a little bit scary and to be out there playing after having to sit down for two months, you could tell how excited he was,” Girardi said.

Masterson settled down a bit but with two outs things became a bit strange and eventually beneficial for the Yankees. He seemed to get the third out against Austin Romine but instead the ball deflected off his back for an infield single.

If that was not odd enough, Romine easily swiped second and then scored on Brett Gardner’s two-out single up the middle on a 0-2 slider. Gardner took second on the relay throw home and made it to third on a throwing error by Masterson on a pickoff play.

“Hopefully that gets us going,” Hafner said. “We have a bunch of good hitters in here and just kind of a down week for us. A game like today, hopefully we can get us swinging the bats well and turning the corner.”

Travis Hafner’s best swing in two weeks gave the Yankees an insurance home run. It was his second hit in 23 at-bats.

Pettitte’s return lasted 83 pitches but the best pitches thrown by the Yankees may have come from the right arm of Shawn Kelley. Kelley struck out two in 1 1/3 innings while also working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth thanks to Lyle Overbay’s first career putout as a right fielder.

While disappointed in the final line of his 500th career start, Pettitte was pleased with the eventual result for the team.

“I felt good,” Pettitte said. “First of all, it was just a good win for us obviously. It’s so good about the team winning and putting some runs up on the board. As far as me personally, it’s frustrating because we finally get some runs on the board and you give the lead back. You’re never going to be real happy about that but I was very thankful and you could smile a little bit about it when you get the ‘W.’”

Follow Yankees beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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Robinson Cano has known Jay-Z since making his major-league debut in May 2005 and likes everything about the rapper, businessman and part owner of the Brooklyn Nets.

But that’s not why he decided to drop Scott Boras as his agent to become the first athlete represented by Roc Nation, a group that is part of the Creative Artists Agency.

In a three and half minute interview, Cano did not disclose much about the switch. The main points he tried to convey were that it was a family decision and that a lot of people have told him it was a good move to leave the agent known for trying to get virtually all of his clients to free agency.

The question many Yankee fans want to know is if it increases the chances Cano will re-sign in the offseason. Cano is on the last year of a six-year, $57 million deal and reportedly was looking for a $200 million deal similar to those signed by Albert Pujols and Joey Votto recently.

However, Cano remained quiet when asked if it enhanced the likelihood of him remaining in pinstripes.

“I’ll let my agent talk about the contract and stuff like that,” Cano said. “I want to stay with the same team. You know, if my agent decides that and talks to the Yankees, we’ll see what happens.

His comments around a throng of reporters in the clubhouse also will be the last time he talks contract in a public setting.

“Right now, my focus is on playing baseball,” Cano said. “There’s no contract or anything like that on my mind. The season has started and I don’t want to be a distraction for my teammates. All I want to do is focus on playing right now.”

Girardi, Teixeira talks agent switches

The only issue manager Joe Girardi could see about Robinson Cano switching to an agency headed by Jay-Z would be recording an album and even when he said that, he was kidding.

In other words switching agents doesn’t make Girardi think his star second baseman’s personality will change.

“Robby loves to play this game,” Girardi said. “When a guy changes agents, I don’t really think it necessarily changes the guy. It changes his representation but it doesn’t change who Robby Cano is. Everything that I’ve seen from Robby is that he loves to play this game and is prepared to play every day.

“I don’t see why changing agents would change that unless he’s got some recording issues that he has to deal with. I don’t see how it’s going to change him. I haven’t heard he’s putting out an album.”

Mark Teixeira is someone who can relate to what Cano is going through. The process of free agent speculation began early in his career when he with the Rangers.

The Rangers eventually traded him in July 2007 after their offer did not meet what Teixeira was looking for. The Braves dealt him a year later to the Angels after their offer also fell short in the eyes of Teixeira and Boras.

“In 2005, I was already fitted for pinstripes,” Teixeira said. “It was my third year in baseball and I hit 43 home runs, had a great year and everybody said, ‘Great Mark, you won’t be a Ranger much longer.’ So I had guys like you [reporters], maybe two or three around, maybe everyday saying, ‘When are you going to get traded, when are you going to get traded,’ because the Yankees at the time were one of the only teams that could provide the type of contract stability that I wanted, no-trade clause and winning every year.

“Now it seems like every team has that kind of money but when I was a free agent not that long ago and there was only a few teams you could really go to and the Yankees were losing their first baseman.”

Hafner makes first start

The Yankees are opening their season by facing five right-handed pitchers in the first six games. That meant Travis Hafner might not get many starts if any at all.

Instead, last night, Hafner started against Clay Buchholz and made his debut for the team that called his agent in late-January.

Hafner was limited to 66 games in his final season with the Indians. He missed nearly three months with right knee soreness and lower back inflammation but expressed optimism that losing some weight in spring training might help him avoid that problem this year.

“I’ve been able to lose some weight in spring training to take some pressure off my back and leg,” Hafner said. “Everything feels good, so I’m looking forward to the year.”

Follow Yankees beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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With the exception of 2008, the Yankees have been a playoff team in every postseason since 1993.

Even in the one year they missed the playoffs, the Yankees still won 89 games. But heading into Monday’s season opener against the Red Sox, you’d be hard pressed to find a majority of fans who are even that optimistic.

Many are predicting doom or at least a Yankee version of it, which constitutes something along the lines of an 85-win season and a third place finish in the AL East. Vegas puts the team’s over/under at 88.5 wins, the lowest total in 13 years.

When the season begins, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson will be sidelined with injuries and the projected Opening Day lineup will feature just two players from last year’s season opener — Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano.

With the addition of Vernon Wells, the Yankees will have an estimated payroll of $222.1 million in guaranteed contracts. They have an eventual goal of getting payroll to $189 million in 2014 to avoid paying luxury taxes.

“I think there are several reasons to be under it and they’ve all been well-documented,” managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said on WFAN Tuesday. “But one that hasn’t been well-documented is that I don’t believe you have to have a $200 million payroll to be world champions. So it is something that’s important to us, but only if we’re sure we’re fielding a championship-caliber team. I mean, I just can’t say that enough. We are going to field a championship-caliber team every single year.”

However, nearly half of that payroll is on the disabled list.

Jeter is still recovering from a serious ankle injury that required surgery after he had to be carried off the field in Game 1 of the ALCS. He will start the season on the disabled list, despite a heavy rehab schedule this offseason to avoid just that.

“It pretty much looks like what’s going to happen,” Jeter said to reporters in Tampa on Tuesday. “I’ve told you guys all along my goal was to be ready on Opening Day and I didn’t reach it. Yeah, it’s disappointing.”

At least Jeter is talking about the majority of the season, because the three other major injuries will have the Yankees missing players for at least a month.

Even with a career-high 28.5 percent strikeout rate last season, Granderson hit 43 home runs and scored 102 runs. He could still hit 30 if he returns from a broken forearm suffered on Feb. 24 by May, which is when his original prognosis of 10 weeks has him returning.

Teixeira’s batting average has declined from .292 to .251 in his four seasons with the Yankees but the power has still been there. Despite missing 38 games last year, he hit 24 home runs, but it is possible that the torn tendon sheath might sap some of the power from his bat.

Teixeira’s return if everything goes smoothly could be sometime in June but it also is a similar injury that Toronto slugger Jose Bautista suffered on July 16. Bautista tried to rehab it and play through it but eventually needed surgery.

And then there is Rodriguez, who not only was revealed to be suffering from a second hip injury but who also was named in a performance-enhancing drug report from Florida. Combine that with his rapid state of decline, and it’s hard to predict what his performance will look like whenever he returns.

Also factoring into the pessimism among Yankee fans are the replacements.

Kevin Youkilis was signed to a one-year deal to replace Rodriguez at third, Wells was acquired to play left field while Brett Gardner handles center field in Granderson’s absence and first base could be manned by either Juan Rivera or Lyle Overbay.

Youkilis hit .307 in 2010 but since then has batted .246 in his last two seasons. Wells batted .222 in two seasons with the Angels after hitting .280 in 12 years with Toronto.

Rivera has limited first base experience and batted .244 in 109 games for the Dodgers last year, while Overbay has not batted higher than .270 since 2008.

The Yankee starting rotation is expected to be good enough but even that has question marks behind CC Sabathia. Hiroki Kuroda is 38, Andy Pettitte will be 41 in June and Phil Hughes has been dealing with a back injury.

The Yankees have had question marks before but still had enough to overcome those. Fans will find out soon if the Yankees can do the same this year.

Follow Yankees beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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In less than 24 hours, Mark Teixeira went from having what was believed to be a minor wrist injury to being out eight to 10 weeks with a strained right wrist.

“It’s not what you want, but it’s what you’ve got to deal with,” manager Joe Girardi said.

On Tuesday, Teixeira strained his wrist taking some swings at the indoor cage while preparing for his appearance with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.

The official diagnosis is a strained ECU tendon.

Teixeira was going to be the starting first baseman at the World Baseball Classic, but now he won’t be playing any first base until May. Eight weeks from Wednesday is May 1 when the Yankees are home against Houston and 10 weeks from Wednesday is May 15 when the Yankees host Seattle.

“I’m obviously worried about it,” general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Tuesday. “Wrists are very unpredictable. Even if you can get a positive diagnosis back — which of course we’re going to hope for — that still doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods, because wrists are tricky. They’re hard to get a handle on.”

The unpredictable nature of wrist injuries can be illustrated by the example of Toronto slugger Jose Bautista. Bautista suffered a left wrist injury fouling a pitch off against Yankee reliever David Robertson last July 16, then missed virtually the rest of the season and eventually needed surgery on a tendon sheath in his left wrist.

By being out that long, Teixeira will have played in four regular-season games since Aug. 27 and 13 including the postseason. He missed most of last September with a strained left calf suffered trying to beat out a grounder in Baltimore.

At least the Yankees had a veteran backup at that point. Nick Swisher filled in at first base down the stretch, but the Yankees let him sign with the Indians.

A possible candidate if the Yankees do not make a trade is Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis was signed to a one-year deal to fill the void left by Alex Rodriguez’s hip injury but played over 100 games at first base in four seasons for the Red Sox. He has only appeared there 32 times over the previous two seasons.

Travis Hafner, however, is not a candidate. He was signed to be the team’s designated hitter and has not played first base since 2007.

Another first baseman in camp is Dan Johnson, who has played 328 of his 341 major league games at the position. Juan Rivera, who is primarily an outfielder, also has some experience there after playing in 54 games at first for the Dodgers last season.

Teixeira’s wrist injury is just the latest injury issue for the Yankees.

Besides Rodriguez’s injury, Curtis Granderson is out until May after breaking his right forearm on Feb. 24, Derek Jeter is expected to play in a game on Sunday for the first time after fracturing his left ankle in Game 1 of the ALCS and Mariano Rivera is coming off a major knee injury suffered last May.

Follow Yankees beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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