New York Yankees Reveal Extent of Slugger's Foot Injury

The New York Yankees got some bad news around the health of the player they were hoping would be their starting third baseman to open the season.

Mar 11, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) singles during / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed the results of testing for the injury to DJ LeMahieu before Saturday’s game with the Houston Astros.

LeMahieu’s latest MRI revealed with Boone called a non-displaced fracture in his right foot, per multiple reports, including the New York Daily News.

The Yankees put LeMahieu on the injured list before the regular season began with what they called a foot contusion, which he suffered when he fouled a ball off his foot late in spring training.

The Yankees did an initial MRI but waited to do a second one, as they wanted the swelling around his foot to go down.

Any hopes of a quick recovery for LeMahieu are now out the window. Boone told reporters that LeMahieu will be shut down for two weeks before he is re-evaluated.

This puts the recent trade for Jon Berti into perspective, though it’s not clear if the Yankees suspected that LeMahieu’s second MRI would reveal more damage.

The Yankees started Oswaldo Cabrera at third base in their first two games and Cabrera has been hot at the plate, helping the Yankees win each of their first two games while batting at the bottom of the lineup.

LeMahieu is in the fourth year of a six-year contract that pays him $90 million. He won the American League batting title in the truncated 2020 season, hitting .364 in his first year with the Yankees. But his average in each of his last three full seasons has been below his career average of .298, as he batted only .243 last season in 136 games.