It seems that the New York Yankees will miss DJ LeMahieu for an uncertain period of time. Due to the injury to the veteran infielder, Aaron Boone had to go to Plan B to set up the rotation. Initially, the Yankees manager wanted the oldest player on the 40-man roster to play the role of their leadoff hitter. Even last year, the 35-year-old infielder finished the season on a positive note from an individual standpoint. However, there was nothing positive, really, in the way the 2023 season got over for the Bronx Bombers. Among the few things that went right for them was Gerrit Cole’s career-best season.
The Yankees ace pitcher even won the AL Cy Young award, which is quite deserving. Moreover, Anthony Volpe, the rookie, had a 20-20 season. No other rookie wearing the pinstripe uniform has done that before. Adding to that, DJ’s performance in the latter half of the season was quite impressive. However, as fate would have it, both Cole and DJ sustained severe injuries during the Spring Training. As a result, the two prime players for the team went straight to the Injured List for a long period. Lately, the Yankees revealed they will re-evaluate DJ LeMahieu in a week.
DJ LeMahieu Still Uncertain Regarding His Return Date
It is really a bit of bad luck for DJ LeMahieu. On Tuesday, he was hoping to play his first game in the ongoing season as early as next week. Even the team was hoping to see the veteran infielder make his season debut soon. But on Wednesday, the right foot soreness dashed all those tentative plans. According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, the 35-year-old DJ will be shut down for at least another week. On Tuesday, while playing for Double-A Somerset as a rehab assignment, his right foot soreness caused the team to remove him from the game. Later, DJ LeMahieu underwent tests on Wednesday.
According to the Yankees manager, Aaron Boone, the veteran infielder is dealing with residual edema, which means he has recurring swelling. Clearly, his right foot condition is not great. He fractured it a month ago. The Yankees skipper told ESPN that the team will re-evaluate his right foot “Week by week.” As a result, the return date for DJ LeMahieu in the big league is quite unclear. Moreover, DJ has been a two-time batting champion. But since he turned 30, he has been dealing with a lot of injury issues. In 2022, he could not play in the postseason because he had a broken toe that preceded ligament damage in his right foot.
Yankees Captain Hopes For A Speedy Recovery Of DJ
As per ESPN, Aaron Judge mentioned that DJ LeMahieu is a big part of the organization. Hence, playing without him due to such severe injuries is really tough for everybody on the team. The Yankees captain said what the team has been doing over the past couple of years is not complete without DJ.
Nevertheless, the NY side’s center fielder mentioned that DJ’s health is vital. After all, Aaron Judge believes, “We roll when we have a healthy and fit DJ LeMahieu.” So far, the Bronx Bombers have done pretty well without Cole and DJ, losing just one series.
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