LeMahieu set for rehab games, expects to be with Yanks soon after
TORONTO — DJ LeMahieu is days away from playing in games. The third baseman said he plans on starting a rehab assignment this Thursday or Friday. LeMahieu has been recovering from a nondisplaced fracture, an injury he suffered fouling a ball off his right foot in spring training.
“I wouldn’t think too many,” LeMahieu said Tuesday when asked how many rehab games he’ll need. “I would probably say less than five.”
However, Aaron Boone didn’t want to put a time limit on the assignment, which is expected to start at Double-A Somerset.
“It’s possible,” the manager said of LeMahieu’s prediction. “We’ll see. Let’s get through the first one first. We’ll just see how the buildup goes.”
LeMahieu had had some trouble ramping up baseball activities earlier in his recovery, particularly when it came to side-to-side fielding. However, he said his foot has felt “way better” over the last week.
LeMahieu added that he doesn’t have any boxes left to check before getting into games.
“I’m ready,” the succinct infielder said.
The Yankees planned on LeMahieu being their everyday third baseman when spring training began, and Boone talked the two-time batting champ up as his preferred leadoff man throughout camp. However, Oswaldo Cabrera has exceeded expectations at the plate while filling in at the hot corner. He entered Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays hitting .292.
Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe has taken over the leadoff spot. The 22-year-old sophomore entered Tuesday’s contest with a .373 average and .464 OBP.
Volpe was hitting .368 with a .500 OBP when batting first, which is why Boone sounds intent on keeping the shortstop there when LeMahieu returns.
“We’ll see,” the skipper said when asked if he still sees LeMahieu as a leadoff guy. “I mean, I’m probably not taking Anthony out of the leadoff spot. The good thing with DJ is I feel like he can fit a lot of different spots in the order. So we’ll see. It’s still a ways off.”
COLE TAKES ANOTHER STEP
Boone said Gerrit Cole (elbow inflammation) threw at 75 feet on Tuesday, as expected. The ace is on the 60-day injured list and can’t return until the end of May.
VOLPE ROOTS FOR PAL LEITER
The Yankees are off on Thursday, but Anthony Volpe will still be laser-focused on a baseball game.
That’s because Jack Leiter, a high school teammate, is scheduled to make his major-league debut for the Rangers. Leiter, the son of former Yankees and Mets pitcher Al Leiter, won a Non-Public A State Championship with Volpe at Morristown, N.J.’s Delbarton School in 2019.
“I couldn’t be happier for him and his whole family,” Volpe said, adding that he plans on watching every pitch Leiter throws against the Tigers. “It’s super exciting.”
Volpe said he and Leiter connected on Tuesday. Volpe reached out right away when he saw the news, and he planned on chatting with Leiter more today.
“I’m sure his phone was going crazy,” Volpe said.
In an alternate universe, Leiter and Volpe would have gone to Vanderbilt together after playing for Delbarton and Team USA as teens.
Instead, the Yankees drafted Volpe 30th overall in 2019. The 22-year-old signed out of high school, endured some ups and downs as a rookie last year, and has gotten off to a hot start in his second season as the starting shortstop for the team he grew up rooting for.
Leiter, on the other hand, chose to spend two seasons at Vanderbilt after the Yankees used a 20th-round pick on him in 2019. He was always expected to attend college, and the Rangers drafted the 23-year-old second overall in 2021.