Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu shut down at least another week due to swelling in his right foot

NEW YORK (AP) – New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu will be shut down for at least another week after an MRI and CT scan showed continued swelling in his fractured right foot Wednesday.

The 35-year-old two-time batting champion underwent testing after leaving his first minor league injury rehabilitation game with Double-A Somerset in the second inning Tuesday night due to soreness in his right foot, which he fractured on a foul ball during a spring training game on March 16.

Before exiting his rehab game, LeMahieu was scheduled to play at least four games before potentially joining the Yankees for the opener of a series at Baltimore on Monday.

“It´s tough because DJ´s a big part of this team,” slugger Aaron Judge said after New York´s 7-3 win over Oakland. “What he´s been doing the past couple of seasons and to not have him here right now, I know all the guys are feeling it but the most important think is him getting healthy.”

LeMahieu hit a career-low .243 last year with 15 homers and 44 RBIs in 136 games. He batted .220 in the first half last, but .273 in the second half.

In 2022, he missed the postseason because of a broken sesamoid bone in his right big toe that led to ligament damage in his second toe.

“I`m sure there´s a little bit of frustration in there,” Boone said. “We just want to make sure this is right. I think that´s his mindset. In the last couple of weeks, I know in his mind he felt ready to go.”

LeMahieu won the AL batting title by hitting .364 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but has hit just .258 in the last three seasons.