Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has been chosen as Mark Teixeira replacement, according to reports. The first baseman for both the Yankees and Team USA, strained a tendon in his wrist Tuesday taking swings off of a tee, knocking him out of action for eight to ten weeks as well as making him unavailable for the World Baseball Classic.
Hosmer received a text from MLBPA rep and former major leaguer Tony Clark gauging his interest as well as a phone call from Team USA manager Joe Torre. Once he cleared it with the Royals, he jumped onboard and will be in action Friday night in Phoenix when Team USA faces Mexico. Hosmer has shown great enthusiasm about participating in the World Baseball Classic saying, 'It's a great opportunity,'' Hosmer told The Associated Press on Wednesday. ''Any chance you get to represent your country, you're going to jump at the opportunity. So I'm very excited.''
Hosmer is a highly touted prospect in a Royals' organization chock full of gems. Last season was a disappointment for him after a very solid rookie campaign. In 2012 Hosmer's average tumbled 61 points and he only hit 14 home runs, five fewer than the previous season. Advanced statistics show that Hosmer was extremely unlucky last season, though, posting a very low .255 batting average on balls in play (BABIP). The Royals are hoping his rough year was nothing more than an unfortunate sophomore slump.
After the wrist injury, Yankees general manager said Teixeira would be out a minimum of ten days. He said he heard a pop upon injuring the wrist, however, and later it was revealed by Yankees manager Joe Girardi that he would miss eight to ten weeks and will require four weeks of complete rest. The injury is being compared to the one sustained by Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who hurt his wrist taking a hack at Yankee Stadium, missed a month and then returned for two games before hitting the disabled list again for the rest of the season.
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