Yankees' DJ LeMahieu is questionable for Opening Day

Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided reporters, including Greg Joyce of The New York Post, with an update Monday regarding DJ LeMahieu. 

The infielder fouled a ball off his right foot recently and Boone says LeMahieu has a “pretty significant” bone bruise and won’t be playing through it for the time being. With Opening Day now just over a week away, it’s unclear if LeMahieu will be ready in time.

LeMahieu, 35, is coming off a frustrating season. He didn’t go on the injured list last year but did battle through quad and calf soreness while hitting .243/.327/.390 for a wRC+ of 101. 

Just over a month ago, Boone was excited about LeMahieu’s improved health at the opening of camp. “He’s just more explosive to me,” Boone said, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Unfortunately, there now may be a snag in seeing that explosiveness in the regular season.

Even if LeMahieu misses some early time in the season, it may not be much. Opening Day injured list stints can be backdated by three days, so he might only miss a week if he’s put on the 10-day IL. It’s nonetheless a situation worth monitoring as it could leave them with a temporary hole at third base.

LeMahieu is slated to be the club’s everyday option at the hot corner, with Anthony Volpe, Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo filling out the rest of the infield. The club was looking to bolster its veteran infield depth, having recently been connected to players like Enrique Hernández and Amed Rosario, though those players have now signed with the Dodgers and Rays, respectively.

The plan with signing either of those two would have involved Oswald Peraza getting optioned to the minors for regular reps, ready to be recalled for more regular playing time if an injury occurred. That won’t be an option now as Peraza himself got injured by suffering a shoulder strain that will shut him down for six to eight weeks.

As it currently stands, the Yanks have Oswaldo Cabrera, Jahmai Jones and Jorbit Vivas as depth infielders on their roster. Cabrera had an exciting debut in 2022 but hit just .211/.275/.299 last year. Jones was just claimed off waivers three weeks ago while Vivas has not yet made his major league debut and was optioned to Triple-A after Monday’s game. 

Players like Josh VanMeter, Jeter Downs and Kevin Smith are in camp as non-roster invitees though each of them has struggled against big league pitching.

The end of spring training usually shakes a few players loose, as roster decisions are made around the league. For instance, veteran infielder Josh Harrison just opted out of his minor league deal with the Reds after being informed he wasn’t going to make the team. The Yankees could turn to Harrison or some other player in the coming days if they feel they need an extra body to cover for a LeMahieu absence.

Infielders like Donovan Solano and Evan Longoria remain unsigned. The Yankees are facing a 110% tax on any addition to their payroll at this point, as a third-time payor that’s over the fourth line of the competitive balance tax, but those guys won’t require huge sums to put pen to paper. 

The position player market has seemingly collapsed in recent weeks, with players like Hernández, Rosario, Gio Urshela and others signing for less than $5M in guaranteed money.

Ultimately, the bigger concern might be the season-long performance, as opposed to any week-long absence. The 2023 Yankees were hampered by health problems, as Aaron Judge was only able to play 106 games due to IL stints while veterans like LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo struggled while dealing with various ailments.

Health is already in the spotlight for the Yanks as ace Gerrit Cole is set to miss significant time due to an elbow issue. Even before that situation cropped up, they knew they were going to need some bounceback campaigns from those veterans. 

They will therefore want to make sure LeMahieu is as healthy and productive as possible, which is perhaps why Boone is now suggesting he won’t be playing through this issue. The club may need to look to alternatives at third base until LeMahieu is back to being explosive again.