Last week’s Injurypalooza is over with the Yankees seemingly not losing Gerrit Cole for the year or Aaron Judge for a part of the season; but the Yankees medical staff is using Spring Training to build-up to mid-season form, and part of that according to Aaron Boone is to listen to DJ LeMahieu’s right foot. “We’re going to listen to the foot,” said Boone.
The 2023 American League Cy Young award winner is out until at least May, with June or July the most likely return for Gerrit Cole. The other injury scare last week was the 2023 A.L. MVP runner-up, Aaron Judge. He was supposed to return to the lineup last weekend but was pushed further out to possibly March 20th. The goal for Judge and the Yankees is to just have him healthy starting the season, “The main goal is to be game ready for Opening Day, so we’re just going to work on that,” explained Aaron Judge. Now the injury bug has come up to claim another essential player to the Yankees 2024 season.
DJ LeMahieu was projected to be the Yankees Opening Day third baseman before he fouled a ball off his already troublesome right foot. “On a foot that’s had some injuries for him, I’m not going to have him playing through anything initially,” explained Aaron Boone, the Yankees Manager. The foot-speak does not sound good for LeMahieu.
The timeline and Yankees comments suggest LeMahieu will be handled carefully and is in serious jeopardy for the Opening Day lineup. March 16th, ball fouled off foot. March 17th, LeMahieu reported the foot was sore. Imagery of foot comes back clean. LeMahieu meets with a foot specialist and will be re-evaluated on March 21st. The way the Yankees handle injuries during the season makes me think a quick return to the lineup is doubtful.
DJ LeMahieu is on the back end of 35-years old, turning 36 just before the All-Star break making $15,000,000 a year. How carefully can the Yankees afford to be with the infielder that has two top-5 finishes in the A.L. MVP voting, and a Gold Glove during his Yankees tenure with Oswald Peraza out for an extended period? LeMahieu’s contract is until 2027, that is a few more years of trying to balance a recently oft-injured LeMahieu in a lineup that seemingly is looking to fill the roster with younger players who are still under team control.
Yankee Notes-
Jasson Dominguez is still rehabbing from a partial right UCL tear with an expected return of June or July. While every injury and return can vary, how is Shohei Ohtani already back to full force as a designated hitter in the Dodger’s lineup? The Dodgers do not seem to be babying a $700 million investment. The Yankees belief is Dominguez could return to Minor League rehab games as early as April, if true, maybe an injury in the Yankee outfield would have Dominguez getting healthier sooner. Of course that depends on what the elbow says to the Yankees.
DYK-Marcus Stroman played baseball for Duke University and became the first-ever Blue Devil to be taken in the First Round, 22nd overall, of the 2012 First-Year Player MLB Draft.
