Yankees One Step Closer to DJ LeMahieu’s Return

he New York Yankees were faced with some harsh injuries before the season even started. Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury would sideline him for “one to two months,” according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Additionally, starting third baseman DJ LeMahieu would start the year on the injured list with a foot injury, according to MLB.com’s Steve Kornacki. However, LeMahieu is one step closer to returning as he took on-field batting practice on April 5, according to the New York Post’s Dan Martin.

LeMahieu has been unavailable for the Yankees since he fouled a ball off his foot on March 16. Initial testing did not reveal anything serious, but a second round of imaging, done on March 29, revealed a “nondisplaced fracture in his right foot,” manager Aaron Boone said on March 30, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.

Although LeMahieu took batting practice he still has some time before he can make his season debut.

LeMahieu’s Rehab

LeMahieu spent the first week of the regular season rehabbing at the team’s facility in Tampa. He still has a few steps “before he’s able to begin rehab games,” Martin wrote. LeMahieu noted he has not started moving side-to-side, according to Martin.

“Now it’s the bounceback,” Aaron Boone said, according to Martin. “He’s a little [more] sore [Saturday]. The biggest test is side-to-side motion [and] not where you’re just running straight ahead.”

LeMahieu injured the same foot in 2022, but is not “taking this injury comeback slower because it’s the same foot,” Martin wrote.

“LeMahieu added he expected to increase his baseball activity while he’s with the team this week and if all goes well, he’ll have a conversation with the staff about the next step, which will include another scan of the foot at some point,” Martin wrote.

LeMahieu’s Impact on the Yankees

LeMahieu was “penciled in” as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter in 2024, according to CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry. Boone expressed his desire for LeMahieu to bat at the top of the Yankees lineup early in the spring.

“Boone acknowledged that his preference would be to slot the 35-year-old LeMahieu as the table-setter in the top spot, getting on base to create traffic ahead of Juan Soto, captain Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo,” Hoch wrote on February 22.

While LeMahieu has been out, the Yankees have turned to Oswaldo Cabrera to man the hot corner. Cabrera is slashing .333/.389/.545 with two home runs and eight RBIs during the Yankees hot 8-2 start. While Cabrera has been producing, LeMahieu has proven he can be one of the game’s best when he’s healthy. In 2020 LeMahieu won the batting title with a .346 batting average. It was his second time winning the award as he previously won in 2016 on the Colorado Rockies.

LeMahieu Looking to Bounce Back

After dealing with injuries early in the season, LeMahieu showed signs of improvement after the All-Star break in 2023. He had a .273 batting average with a .809 OPS in 60 games after the break. He held a .220 batting average and .642 OPS in 26 games prior.

“I’m feeling a big year out of DJ again,” Aaron Judge said before LeMahieu’s injury. “Just the work he’s put in, the laser focus he always has. I feel like he’s picked it up a notch even this year coming into camp, which I’m excited about.”

LeMahieu acknowledged his poor season at the plate in 2023 but is looking to move forward focusing on the positives. “Listen, last year was a bad year,” LeMahieu said. “But I definitely could take some positives away from the second half, at least. Overall, I’m just looking to turn the page on last year, collectively and individually.”