TAMPA — So much for Yankees rookie Tyler Austin competing for the starting first baseman job this spring.
The club won’t have its first full squad workout until Saturday, and already he’s had two bitter pills to swallow … first the late free agent addition of slugging first baseman Chris Carter that probably cost Austin a realistic shot at beginning the season in the majors and now a serious injury … a broken foot.
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Austin, who hit four homers in 31 games for the Yanks last season after getting an August call-up from Triple-A, fouled a pitch off his left foot during live BP earlier this week at the minor-league complex and the soreness turned out to be a fractured navicular bone.
Just like that, Austin will be sidelined for about six weeks … all of spring training.
“He was fighting for that first base spot and it’s unfortunate,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “A young man here trying to get better and facing live BP, and he hit a ball off his foot.”
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Austin took batting practice at the Yankees’ minor-league complex on Thursday, but hasn’t been able to run due to soreness. He alerted the Yankees on Friday morning, and that led to X-rays and an MRI.
The X-ray showed nothing, but they got an MRI (on Friday) morning and that’s when they found (the fracture),” Girardi said.
Outfielder Mason Williams, another young player who had a short stint with the Yankees late season, also already is injured.
Williams’ issue is an inflammation in his left patella tendon that is expected to sideline the 2010 fourth-round draft pick for two weeks.
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“He had it earlier this winter, it went away, and now it came back,” Girardi said.
“So to be cautious, we’re going to try to take two weeks. So he won’t be doing any baseball activity for a while. So hopefully it goes away in two weeks.”
Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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