Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu just lately underwent an MRI after tweaking a calf muscle throughout his spring debut and has been identified with a pressure, LeMahieu himself instructed the Yankees beat this morning (through Greg Joyce of the New York Publish). It’s a Grade 1 or 2 pressure, and whereas there’s no official timetable but, LeMahieu will go at the least a “couple” weeks with none baseball exercise in any respect. That appears more likely to rule him out for Opening Day, although the staff hasn’t but formally introduced as a lot. He’s assembly with the staff’s medical workers this morning to map out a timetable.
It’s one other well being setback for the 36-year-old LeMahieu, who appeared in simply 67 video games final season as a consequence of foot and hip accidents. He wasn’t productive when on the sector both, batting simply .204/.269/.259 with a pair of homers in 228 journeys to the plate. LeMahieu posted career-low marks in common exit velocity and hard-hit charge, and his 56.4% ground-ball charge was the second-highest mark of his profession and sixth-highest in MLB (min. 220 plate appearances). For a participant whose dash velocity checked into the twentieth percentile of huge league place gamers, that’s clearly not a great pattern.
The Yankees initially signed LeMahieu to a two-year, $24MM deal within the 2018-19 offseason. It proved to be one among their greatest free agent pickups in latest reminiscence, as he posted a mammoth .336/.386/.536 over these two years, ending top-four in MVP voting in each 2019 and 2020. The Yankees re-signed LeMahieu for $90MM the next winter. That’s concerning the sum he was anticipated to land over a four-year pact, however the Yankees stretched it out over six seasons to lighten the luxurious tax hit. He’s by no means recaptured that peak 2019-20 type, however LeMahieu was a stable and versatile contributor from 2021-23, hitting .258/.345/.375 with high quality glovework at first base, second base and third base.
Regardless of the poor exhibiting in 2024, LeMahieu entered camp squarely within the combine for normal reps at third base. The Yankees’ finances is seemingly at its restrict. They’ve handed on including an infielder at both second base or third base (Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play both spot) and seem dedicated to going with in-house choices. LeMahieu, former high prospect Oswald Peraza and utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera have been vying for enjoying time on the sizzling nook.
LeMahieu’s remaining two years and $30MM have been all the time going to place him on the roster with some kind of position, however his harm opens the door for a youthful choice at third base — be it Peraza, Cabrera or maybe Jorbit Vivas. Vivas didn’t make his spring debut till this week. He’d been coping with some shoulder soreness, however he’ll probably be part of the third base competitors now. He’s already on the 40-man roster.
