Yankees’ Lemahieu, Stanton injured; Chapman to IL
NEW YORK » The Yankees lost All-stars DJ Lemahieu and Giancarlo Stanton to injuries Tuesday night and also placed closer Aroldis Chapman on the injured list.
Lemahieu was set to lead off and play third base against the Baltimore Orioles, but New York announced he wouldn’t play about 90 minutes before the first pitch because of left wrist discomfort.
Stanton was pulled from the game with right calf tightness. He was replaced by pinch-hitter Estevan Florial in the seventh inning after going 0 for 2 with a strikeout as the designated hitter.
Lemahieu, a two-time batting champion, is hitting .250 with three homers and a .704 OPS this season. He’s 5 for 39 (.128) over his past 10 games. Asked about Lemahieu’s struggles earlier Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone said he thought Lemahieu was “close” to ending his slump and did not cite the wrist as an issue.
Stanton is batting .285 with 11 homers and a team-leading 35 RBIS.
The 2017 NL MVP played 139 games last year after injuries and the pandemic limited him to 41 games in 2019 and 2020 combined.
Marwin Gonzalez replaced Lemahieu at third base, and Aaron Hicks was bumped up to the leadoff spot. Gonzalez was hit in the right hand by a pitch Tuesday but remained in the game.
New York also activated catcher Kyle Higashioka from the COVID-19 IL. Left fielder Joey Gallo and third baseman Josh Donaldson remain out with the virus, although Gallo has tested negative and worked out at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. He could be activated Wednesday.
Anderson: Donaldson tried to provoke with “Jackie” comment. CHICAGO » Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson said Tuesday that Josh Donaldson was clearly trying to rattle him when the New York Yankees third baseman referred to him as “Jackie,” a remark that led to Donaldson being suspended one game by Major League Baseball.
Anderson and White Sox manager Tony La Russa said previously that Donaldson was being racist when he referred to Anderson, who is Black, by the name of the man who broke baseball’s color barrier.
Donaldson has appealed the suspension and has denied that he had any racist intent. He said the comment was a reference to a 2019 Sports Illustrated interview in which Anderson said he viewed himself as a modern-day Robinson.
“He was trying to provoke me,” Anderson said Tuesday before the White Sox faced Boston. “But he knew what he was doing.”
Brewers place OF Renfroe on IL with hamstring strain.
SAN DIEGO » The Milwaukee Brewers have placed outfielder Hunter Renfroe on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring.
Renfroe was injured during Monday night’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the San Diego Padres.
Manager Craig Counsell said before Tuesday night’s game that an MRI showed a low-grade hamstring strain and that Renfroe could miss two weeks.
“We’re going to miss Hunter,” Counsell said. “He’s been a regular for us, he’s been a good presence for us, he’s been a really good offensive player for us. We’re going to miss that, for sure.”
Mariners activate former rookie of year Kyle Lewis from IL. SEATTLE » The Seattle Mariners activated former AL rookie of the year Kyle Lewis from the injured list Tuesday, nearly a year after he last played in a major league game.
Lewis, the 2020 rookie of the year, missed most of last season due to a right knee injury.
The slumping Mariners are hoping his return to the lineup can provide a spark.
“Definitely a lot of emotions, a lot of different things had to deal with as far as going into the rehab process and countless hours, time, trying to problem solve and come up with different solutions for things. Could go on and on about that,” Lewis said. “Just being up here today, being able to hit BP, take every moment in stride and every moment is special.”