DJ LeMahieu Hoping to Avoid Offseason Surgery
After missing the Yankees’ entire postseason, DJ LeMahieu has a decision to make.
A nagging right foot/toe injury kept the versatile infielder out. LeMahieu, speaking after the Astros swept New York in the American League Championship Series, said that he has a fracture in his big toe and ligament damage in his second toe. Now he’s mulling over the possibility of an offseason surgery he’d rather not undergo.
"I know the surgery, if that's the route, it's kind of a tricky one. That's why I'd try to avoid that if possible,” LeMahieu said. “I haven't really dug into it enough, so I'd like to not do this, if at all possible, but I also don't want this to happen again."
LeMahieu called the injury, which hindered him and forced him to miss time in the second half, “chronic” and “complicated.” But he kept working out and taking batting practice during the postseason, and he hoped to make the Yankees’ World Series roster had the team advanced.
"I was kind of disappointed to not be on the roster for the CS, but I understood where they're coming from,” LeMahieu said. "I pride myself on plying through everything and being out there and being available, so it was very frustrating to not be out there and be capable.”
LeMahieu slashed .261/.357/.377 with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 2022. He hit .290/.393/.434 from the start of the season until Aug. 8, but his foot derailed his production after that. LeMahieu didn’t have an extra-base hit in his final 25 games – which were played around a September stint on the injured list – and slashed just .149/.206/.149 over that stretch.
Following the Yankees’ elimination, manager Aaron Boone lamented the fact that the team was without players like LeMahieu and outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who broke his wrist, for its rematch against the Astros.
“We have a lot of the right ingredients in there,” Boone said. “I think there were a few really impactful people that weren't able to play in this postseason that would have potentially been a real difference.”
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