New York Yankees veteran third baseman DJ LeMahieu is dealing with a “pretty significant” bone bruise in his right foot, according to manager Aaron Boone on Monday.
The injury puts his status for Opening Day in question as the 35-year-old was tabbed to be the club’s everyday third baseman.
During Saturday’s spring-training game against the Toronto Blue Jays, LeMahieu fouled a ball off his foot which provided enough discomfort for the Yankees to send him for an MRI. Initial tests came back negative. On Sunday, he was still complaining of soreness.
The injury hits keep coming for the Yankees, who will be without ace Gerrit Cole for at least 10 to 12 weeks after injuring his elbow. Slugger Aaron Judge has also been shut down from hitting for a week after he dealt with an abdominal issue.
As for LeMahieu, this is the same right foot in which he broke his toe and suffered ligament damage during the tail end of the 2022 season. Last season, he missed time due to quad and calf injuries.
Including those two injury-riddled campaigns, the two-time batting champion has experienced a significant regression in his production since 2021, batting .258 with a .720 OPS in 411 games. From 2011-2020, he batted .305.
If he is unable to go for the start of the 2024 season, utility infielder Oswaldo Cabrera could fill in at third base in the interim.
