Yankees upbeat after seeing DJ LeMahieu back at Stadium following positive test
Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu hits a home run in the ninth inning to tie the game in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Astros on Oct. 19 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
It was a very unofficial announcement, but Luke Voit made it anyway early Thursday afternoon:
“The Machine is finally back,” Voit said as the Yankees worked out at Yankee Stadium, later adding for emphasis, “He’s back, baby!”
That would be DJ LeMahieu, who finished fourth in voting for American League MVP in 2019 and is slated to be the Yankees’ second baseman this season.
LeMahieu’s return to the team was delayed by a positive COVID-19 test, but Voit reported spotting him around the Stadium on Wednesday.
Manager Aaron Boone was in no mood to join Voit in gushing, opting instead for caution on the subjects of LeMahieu and pitcher Luis Cessa, who also tested positive but is believed to be nearing a return.
Asked whether he has a date in mind for them, Boone said, “I don’t. When you see them in uniform then we’ll be ready to talk about it.”
He added, “You’d have to make the evaluations of where they’re at, what exactly they’ve been doing, what they’ve been able to do, and then have a plan of what they would need from a buildup standpoint.
“Until we see them and see how they’re responding and see how they’re feeling and we make those evaluations I wouldn’t want to speculate.”
Boone was more informative on the subject of Masahiro Tanaka, who continues to impress the Yankees with his rapid return from a concussion he suffered upon being hit in the head by a Giancarlo Stanton line drive on July 4.
Tanaka threw 30 bullpen pitches on Thursday, at what pitching coach Matt Blake described as a “higher intensity than we expected,” throwing between 88 and 91 miles per hour.
Blake said Tanaka would throw in the bullpen again on Sunday, then likely face hitters early next week.
Blake gushed about Tanaka’s toughness and professionalism. He seemingly was unfazed by the experience of being hit in the right temple by a 112-mph screamer.
“He’s been very firm that he feels OK with what happened and he understands the risks associated with pitching,” Blake said.
Boone said it has not been decided whether Tanaka will get a turn the first time around the starting rotation, but he seemed to be leaning against it.
“I’d probably be a little surprised if it’s the first rotation through,” Boone said.
With Aaron Judge making it through another workday unbothered by a stiff neck that recently sidelined him, the Yankees are in increasingly good health, although closer Aroldis Chapman remains out after a positive COVID test.
Boone plans to treat Friday night’s intrasquad game, followed by two exhibitions against the Mets and one against the Phillies, as a four-game series of sorts.
The idea is to replicate real-life conditions as best as possible. He expects most of his regulars to play in at least three of the four games.
LeMahieu will not be among them, but he presumably will be wearing a uniform sometime in the coming few days.
“It’s huge,” Mike Tauchman said.
Said Voit, “He’s our table-setter. He’s one of the best players in the game. He had a great year last year and guys are super-excited to have him around. I’m glad he’s back, just in the nick of time.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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