DJ LeMahieu Aiming to Speed Up Recovery From a 'Frustrating' and 'Freak' Injury

NEW YORK — DJ LeMahieu still isn't sure why a whiff on Saturday night against the Red Sox resulted in a left thumb sprain and a trip to the 10-day injured list.

"It was weird, I don't even know what I did," LeMahieu said on Wednesday, speaking out on the injury for the first time. "Just a weird freak thing."

While the source of the injury remains a mystery—beyond the fact that he felt pain all of a sudden on that one fateful swing—the Yankees' second baseman is doing his best to get back on the field as quick as possible. In fact, if all goes well, he envisions a scenario where he can be back out there quicker than doctors prescribed. 

"Just trying to do as much as I can," he said. "Couple different doctors said two-to-three weeks. Obviously I'm trying to push that, but probably around that timeline."

READ: Second Opinion Shows Encouraging News on DJ LeMahieu's Sprained Thumb 

LeMahieu took a hearty cut at a 1-0 cutter from Boston's right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in the fourth inning and as he came up empty, he was instantly in pain. His left hand flew off his bat as the second baseman grimaced. 

As the leadoff man approaches one week since the injury occurred, he reported that he's still feeling sore, but it's a lot better than how he felt Saturday night, heading to the hospital for further testing. While LeMahieu is still a ways away from picking up a bat again, he's continuing to work as much as he can, revealing he moved around on the field Wednesday.

The diagnosis—a left thumb sprain—is something LeMahieu is familiar with. Back in 2018, with the Colorado Rockies, the veteran was sidelined for 15 games with a similar injury. 

Then again, that time it was more serious. That lends LeMahieu to believe that while the timeline of his recovery may be similar, he expects to be ready to go even faster this time around. 

"Last time I did it, there was a little fracture in there," he explained. "This time there's not. So I'm hoping to get back a little quicker and full go."

READ: Giancarlo Stanton Opens Up on Latest Injury: 'Words Can't Describe the Disappointment'

LeMahieu was the last of a trio of MVP-caliber position players to wind up on the Yankees' injured list over the last several series. Right fielder Aaron Judge will be on the shelf for a few more days, nursing a right calf strain, while designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is biding his time until he can return from his left hamstring strain.

Spending time on the injured list is already frustrating enough, but with those two sluggers also out, LeMahieu felt even worse about being unable to help his team win games during this stretch.

"It's frustrating too because Judge and Big G are out," LeMahieu said. "It's kind of bad timing. Just frustrating. I pride myself on being out there every day ready to go . When you can't, it sucks. It's a bad feeling not to be able to be out there."

Through his first 19 games of the season, LeMahieu was leading the American League with a spectacular .411 batting average (30-for-73). Just last year, the 31-year-old made the All-Star Game, finishing fourth in the race for the AL Most Valuable Player Award.

Losing LeMahieu for any period of time is a serious blow, but two-plus weeks without an indispensable piece of the puzzle makes Yankees' manager Aaron Boone's job that much tougher. 

Nonetheless, Boone has faith in this club's assets off the bench to fill in and do the job until New York's table-setter is able to return. After all, it's a similar situation to what occurred last year in the Bronx with several familiar faces.

"We've seen guys across the board last year come fill in and step in to a more regular role and almost to a man all deliver in significant ways," Boone explained. "A lot of those guys remain here and are getting those opportunities. We have more information that heightens our confidence in our ability to withstand when we do have some guys go down."

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