DJ LeMahieu staying as ready as he can, but toe issue still won't let him play
The Yankees' DJ LeMahieu returns to the dugout after he struck out swinging to end an MLB game against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 18. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
DJ LeMahieu’s right big toe inflammation continues to heal, but it’s doing so slowly.
“It’s feeling better,” LeMahieu, on the injured list since Sept. 8, said Friday afternoon.
Given how the toe feels now, could LeMahieu play if necessary?
Brief pause. “No,” he said.
LeMahieu started increasing his daily baseball activity this week, running the bases each of the last two days and taking batting practice on the field with his teammates.
While swinging, LeMahieu still feels the toe.
“It's kind of hard to describe . . . it's just painful,” he said.
Which makes it unlikely that LeMahieu will be returning anytime soon, even though he’ll travel with the team to Toronto for next week’s three-game series against the Blue Jays.
LeMahieu acknowledged that discomfort in the toe is something he’ll likely have to deal with the rest of the season. It’s just a matter of getting it to a manageable level. And because of that, he doesn’t see a reason to completely abandon the daily work he’s been doing.
“We have a week and a half left in the season or two weeks or something like that, so I don't want to just shut it down and then have to ramp up again,” LeMahieu said. “So I'm staying as ready as I can without being stupid. And I don't think at this point it's really going to go away. I think it's just [trying to] stay ready. I let them know how I feel, and I'll be ready to go whenever the day is.”
Of whether he feels it more hitting or playing defense, LeMahieu said: “It's probably a little bit everything. But most importantly, if I can't get my swing off, then I’m kind of useless.”
LeMahieu, who said he doesn’t think he’ll require offseason surgery but isn’t entirely sure, credited the Yankees’ training staff for keeping him from pushing himself too far.
"Our trainers are doing a great job just talking through it, helping me out,'' he said. "I feel like I'm in there like three, four hours a day. We’re throwing everything at it we can and just progressing [as best] we can.”
