The New York Yankees are in danger of being without their third baseman for Opening Day.
DJ LeMahieu, the projected starter there, hit a foul ball off his foot and sustained a deep bone bruise over the weekend.
X-rays on his right foot came back clean, but his manager Aaron Boone stated that he would miss a few days.
That would put his availability for Opening Day (on March 28) in jeopardy.
The infielder, however, was more optimistic on Wednesday.
“DJ LeMahieu (bone bruise in foot) isn’t ruling out being in the lineup for Opening Day. “I’ve had a good spring training. I’ve had plenty of at-bats. I’m pretty much ready,” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted.
DJ LeMahieu (bone bruise in foot) isn’t ruling out being in the lineup for Opening Day. “I’ve had a good spring training. I’ve had plenty of at-bats. I’m pretty much ready.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 20, 2024
Performance-wise, LeMahieu wasn’t particularly good in exhibition play, with a .535 OPS in 10 games.
However, veterans like him don’t focus on spring numbers: it’s all about getting physically ready and gaining the timing at the plate.
He feels he was getting there when he suffered the injury and is confident that the ailment won’t disrupt his rhythm so much when he returns.
The Yankees’ options if LeMahieu can’t make it to Opening Day are likely Oswaldo Cabrera or Kevin Smith.
If they feel LeMahieu makes strides in the upcoming days, they will likely plug him in when they take on the Houston Astros in a little over a week.
He might be declining – which is natural because he is 35 – but LeMahieu was still decent at the plate last year: he slashed .243/.327/.390 with 15 home runs and a .718 OPS in 136 games.
Since they don’t really have viable alternatives (not on the roster, anyway), the Yankees medical staff will try to have LeMahieu ready to go when the season starts or shortly after that.
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