Lemahieu to start season on IL for Yanks
TAMPA. Fla. — New York Yankees leadoff hitter DJ Lemahieu will start the season on the injured list because of a bruised right foot, the latest injury setback for the former batting champion.
The 35-year-old third baseman has been sidelined since fouling a ball off the foot on March 16. He is expected to miss at least the seven-game trip that starts Thursday at Houston.
“It’s a little bit slow go on the recovery side,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday. “He banged it up pretty good.”
An MRI and CT scan last week were both negative. Cashman said there will be a follow-up MRI this week.
Lemahieu was slowed the past two seasons by an injured right toe.
Gleyber Torres will get time as the leadoff hitter against left-handers, while Alex Verdugo will top the order against right-handers. Oswaldo Cabrera could fill in at third.
Verdugo started in left field in Monday’s exhibition against the New York Mets. He was scheduled to make the trip with a split squad to Mexico City but was scratched because his pregnant girlfriend needed to go to a hospital.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo was the designated hitter against the Mets after missing three days with a sore lat. He expects to be back at first on Thursday.
Mets: New York will wear tribute patches on the sleeves of their uniforms this year in honor of the late Bud Harrelson.
New York said Monday the patches will feature Harrelson’s No. 3 and “BUDDY.” The Mets said the side of the sleeve with the patch will vary depending on whether a player is right-handed or left-handed.
The shortstop died on Jan. 10 at age 79 after being stricken with Alzheimer’s disease. He was a player on the Mets’ 1969 World Series champions and a coach for the 1986 championship team. Harrelson played for the Mets from 1965-77 and managed the team in 1990 and ’91.
Bryan Cranston: Emmy, Tony and Olivier Award winner Bryan Cranston is a leading face of Major League Baseball’s promotional campaign ahead of opening day for the second straight season, recording a video at Dodger Stadium highlighting several stars.
The actor is the voice of an “Anything Can Happen” campaign that launched Monday after last year’s video promoting rules changes. The new ad features two-way star Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers along with fellow MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz.
Braves: Atlanta signed veteran righthander Jesse Chavez to a minor league contract on Monday, providing the opportunity for the reliever’s fifth stint with the team.
Pirates: Jared Jones’ impressive spring training has earned him a spot on Pittsburgh’s opening-day roster. The team announced the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher made the club, giving the starting rotation a dash of youth.
Pittsburgh also reassigned several players to minor league camp, including former Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán, who pitched a perfect game last season, and former Tigers pitcher Wily Peralta.