Yankees' DJ LeMahieu Placed on Injured List With Toe Injury
September 8, 2022
The New York Yankees will be without infielder DJ LeMahieu for the immediate future.
During an appearance on the Michael Kay Show (h/t Pete Caldera of USA Today), manager Aaron Boone revealed the team placed LeMahieu on the injured list with a sprained toe. The 34-year-old last played in Sunday's victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
The timing is less than ideal for New York considering Anthony Rizzo, Matt Carpenter, Andrew Benintendi and Harrison Bader are also on the injured list. LeMahieu is one of the players who can handle first base when Rizzo and Carpenter are out.
Marwin Gonzalez and Ronald Guzmán will likely be asked to handle first base while that trio is sidelined.
LeMahieu's resume includes three All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, two batting titles and two Silver Sluggers, although he has been somewhat inconsistent this season for New York. In 120 games, he is slashing .262/.358/.381 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI.
Perhaps his greatest value comes in his positional versatility, as he can play across the infield and help cover for the absences of other players.
The toe isn't a new issue for LeMahieu, as Randy Miller of NJ.com noted he missed three straight games in August because of discomfort.
He was also just 2-for-38 in his last 10 games, and the Yankees surely hope some time off will help him return to form by the playoffs.
Still, health is becoming a concern for a team that is 19-26 since the All-Star break and just five games ahead of the Rays in the American League East. Fortunately for the division leaders, they have seemingly stabilized some with four wins in a row, but the AL East crown is no longer the sure thing it appeared to be early in the season.