Teixeira plans to be back in Yankees lineup tonight

Mark Teixeira isn’t fully recovered from the severely inflamed bronchial airways that kept him out of the Yankees starting lineup three straight days, but he was back on the field yesterday.

After missing two games while trying to get rid of the coughing fits that have bothered him all year, Teixeira pinch-hit for Eric Chavez in the ninth inning of the Yankees’ 5-2 loss to the Reds, and reached on a throwing error by third baseman Wilson Valdez after ripping a grounder down the line. He immediately was replaced by a pinch runner.

Teixeira intends on starting tonight against the Royals.

“I’m not 100 percent, obviously,” Teixeira said, again wheezing as he spoke after the game. “I think at this point, I know I have to deal with it for a while. The days off definitely helped and we’ll see how it goes [tonight].”

BOX SCORE

Medication didn’t help and has been discontinued, but the offensively-challenged Yankees believe Teixeira is ready to contribute again.

“He’s been a big hitter for us,” manager Joe Girardi said of his reasoning for bringing Teixeira off the bench yesterday to face hard-throwing lefty Aroldis Chapman. “I talked to him and made sure he felt all right. My hope was him running wouldn’t bring about the cough.”

Teixeira didn’t think the brief exertion would set him back, but it’s clearly not an issue that’s going away anytime soon.

“We’re going to keep managing it,” Teixeira said. “I’m not worried. I played a month and a half with it and hopefully time is going to make it better.”

There’s no guarantee of that.

“I really don’t know,” Teixeira said. “You could take all year off and still not be feeling great.”

* Brett Gardner is scheduled to undergo another MRI on his strained right elbow this week and won’t pick up a bat before Thursday, when the left fielder travels to Tampa.

“We’re not real comfortable with where he is,” Girardi said. “We just don’t feel like it’s quite healed yet. ... The key is getting him over the hump so he doesn’t have a setback.”

Gardner saw a doctor yesterday and admitted being out for more than a month has been difficult.

“I’m anxious, but I’m taking the mindset with this whole thing that I’ve got to be patient and let it heal,” Gardner said, “whether that’s three or four more days or two or three more weeks.”

Mark Teixeira ebook download, Joe Girardi, Wilson Valdez, Eric Chavez, Yankees, straight days, Brett Gardner, Aroldis Chapman

Nypost.com