He returned last season and managed to hit 22 home runs. But his .711 O.P.S. was 17th among 19 qualifying first basemen in the majors, according to Baseball-Reference.com. With Alex Rodriguez suspended and Brian McCann enduring his worst season, the Yankees missed the playoffs for a second straight year.

McCann, Rodriguez and Teixeira will earn more than $60 million this season, and now the Yankees are getting what they paid for. Manager Joe Girardi endorsed them for the All-Star team on Saturday. They are far behind in fan balloting but make strong cases for reserve spots.

“Without these three guys, we wouldn’t be where we’re at,” Girardi said. “And we need to keep them strong and healthy and have them productive.”

As the games pile up, the second half will be more of a challenge. Teixeira’s new gluten-free diet should keep him in better shape, but it is mostly about the sturdy wrist, and the improved bat speed that teammates have noticed since spring training.

“It seems like the Tex from three, four, five years ago,” Brett Gardner said, and for a veteran team, reeling back the years is essential. Teixeira can feel it now, no longer wounded and vulnerable to inside fastballs.

Not that hitting is easy. While his 59 R.B.I. lead the A.L., his average is just .246. But Teixeira remains one of the few hitters honest enough to say that his goal is always to put the ball in the seats, where no infield shift can gobble it up, the way he did Friday when he tied the game with a three-run homer in the eighth inning.

Now, after a normal off-season, he is better equipped to do things like that.

“These pitchers are pretty dirty these days,” Teixeira said, meaning impressive. “When they make a mistake, you can hit their mistakes now. At 94 miles an hour, middle in, you can hit that now and hit it over the fence, rather than popping up or grounding out.”