It's been said that you should never slide into first base, because you'll get there more slowly than if you just keep running at top speed.

Now, we've learned another reason why you shouldn't do that: you could get injured, as Mark Teixeira has:

As Teixeira suspected, he reinjured his left calf when he charged to first base in an attempt to avoid grounding into a game-ending double play Saturday night with the tying run on third. He was playing in his first game since the injury first sidelined him Aug. 27.

"I thought I could play on it at 80 percent or whatever it was," Teixeira said, according to the Daily News. "I couldn’t, so when I come back next time - whether it’s two days or a week, whatever it’s going to be, I don’t know how long it’s going to be. I’ll just make sure that it’s better than 80 percent."

That's going to take at least 10 days:

MRI on @teixeiramark25 showed irritation of his Grade 1 left calf strain. He is expected to be unavailable to play for 10-14 days.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 10, 2012

Since there are now expanded rosters, there's no particular reason to put him on the DL, as the Yankees have replacements already available. But they will miss Teixeira's bat; he's hitting .255/.336/.478 with 23 home runs in 120 games.

For more on the Yankees, please visit Pinstriped Bible and SB Nation New York.