The New York Yankees returned DJ LeMahieu from his rehab assignment and will shut him down for at least another week, the team announced Thursday, due to continued swelling in his fractured right foot.
The veteran third baseman suffered the injury during spring training on March 16 and has yet to make his season debut. He appeared to take a step in the right direction earlier this week when the team announced he would begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Double-A Somerset.
That lasted all of two innings as the 35-year-old was removed from his first game to undergo further testing after complaining of soreness in the area.
“I’m sure there’s a little bit of frustration there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said following Wednesday’s 7-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. “We just want to make sure this is right. I think that’s his mindset. In the last couple of weeks, I know in his mind he felt ready to go.”
LeMahieu was hopeful that he would have to play between four and five minor-league games before potentially joining the big-league club for its series opener against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Injuries have hampered the 35-year-old over the last two seasons, including a broken toe that ended his 2022 season after 125 games. It has undoubtedly played a role in the overall dip in his production seen over the last three years. Following a 2020 season in which he won his second career batting title, LeMeahieu has batted just .258 across his last 411 games.
