After Minor Setback, Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu Set to Begin Rehab Assignment Tuesday
New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu is nearing the final phase of his recovery program after beginning the 2024 season on the injured list due to a fractured right foot.
The 35-year-old, currently on the 10-day IL, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, he told reporters Sunday night, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
LeMahieu isn’t sure how long his minor-league stint will last but said he doesn’t expect it’ll span longer than five games.
The three-time All-Star was supposed to report for a rehab assignment on Friday, but the Yankees delayed those plans after an MRI revealed his broken foot wasn’t fully healed. He remained with the big-league club over the weekend.
“He’s doing really well and I know he feels ready to go, but the foot specialist has weighed in,” manager Aaron Boone said prior to Friday’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. “We want to make sure this thing’s 100%. He’s close to that now. We’re just being conservative with this thing.”
LeMahieu, signed to a six-year, $90-million contract that runs through 2026, suffered the injury after fouling a ball off his right foot during what turned out to be his final spring training contest on March 16th.
The four-time Gold Glove winner participated in fielding drills and batting practice with the Yankees this past weekend as he waited to be cleared by team doctors to begin taking live-game reps. It remains unclear if he’ll spend his entire rehab assignment at Double-A or will advance to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre shortly afterward.
A broken bone in LeMahieu’s right big toe – which ultimately led to ligament damage in his second toe – caused him to miss the 2022 postseason, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as New York fell to the World Series-winning Houston Astros in the ALCS.
Lingering effects from those ailments carried over into last season, hindering the two-time batting champion’s offensive production. Despite blasting 15 home runs, tied for the second-most of his career, he struggled with a .243/.327/.390 slash line and a 101 wRC+ over 136 games.
Swing decisions also became an issue for LeMahieu, as he posted the highest strikeout rate (22.2%) and the second-lowest contact rate (82.6%) of his 13-year major league career. He also earned a 19.7% whiff rate, the highest of his career in the Statcast era (since 2015).
Since joining the Yankees in 2019, the versatile defender has split time at multiple positions, including first, second and third base. But with Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo healthy, he’ll likely earn most of his opportunities at the hot corner upon his return.
Oswaldo Cabrera has operated as New York’s primary third baseman early on, although his defensive metrics haven’t been very flattering, as evidenced by his -1 DRS and -3 OAA across 149.2 innings. Jon Berti (groin) also filled in occasionally before hitting the 10-day IL, logging 49 innings at third.
Despite enduring a rash of injuries, the Yankees have gotten off to a productive 15-7 start this season, leading the AL East Division heading into Monday’s afternoon affair versus the Oakland Athletics.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: YESNetwork. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.