The New York Yankees were faced with some harsh injuries before the season even started. Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury would sideline him for “one to two months,” according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Additionally, starting third baseman DJ LeMahieu would start the year on the injured list with a foot injury, according to MLB.com’s Steve Kornacki. However, LeMahieu is one step closer to returning as he took on-field batting practice on April 5, according to the New York Post’s Dan Martin.
LeMahieu has been unavailable for the Yankees since he fouled a ball off his foot on March 16. Initial testing did not reveal anything serious, but a second round of imaging, done on March 29, revealed a “nondisplaced fracture in his right foot,” manager Aaron Boone said on March 30, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.
Although LeMahieu took batting practice he still has some time before he can make his season debut.
LeMahieu’s Rehab
LeMahieu spent the first week of the regular season rehabbing at the team’s facility in Tampa. He still has a few steps “before he’s able to begin rehab games,” Martin wrote. LeMahieu noted he has not started moving side-to-side, according to Martin.
“Now it’s the bounceback,” Aaron Boone said, according to Martin. “He’s a little [more] sore [Saturday]. The biggest test is side-to-side motion [and] not where you’re just running straight ahead.”
