Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu has broken right foot

Updated Mar. 30, 2024 8:03 p.m. ET

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu has a broken right foot and will be sidelined longer than originally anticipated.

The 35-year-old leadoff hitter has been out since fouling a ball off the foot during a spring training game on March 16 and opened the season on the 10-day injured list.

Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that a non-displaced fracture was revealed during an MRI on Friday. The break had not been detected previously because of swelling.

“Doesn’t really change much,” Boone said. “It’s kind of tolerance as he builds up.”

Boone didn't give a timeline for LeMahieu's return but said the two-time batting champion will undergo more imaging in two weeks to see how he's healing.

“But it shouldn’t stop him from progressing,” Boone said.

The manager said LeMahieu has been feeling better in recent days and hit in a cage Friday.

LeMahieu struggled following a broken sesamoid bone in his right big toe that led to ligament damage in his second toe in 2022. He hit .220 in the first half last year but .273 in the second.

“It’s added concern, which is why we’re not pushing it,” Boone said of the prior injury. “It’s not something that he’s going to play through. He’s going to be 100%. And I think the sense is that it should over time be fine, but it’s just that we’re not playing through it.”

LeMahieu won batting titles with Colorado in 2016 and with the Yankees in 2020. He hit .243 with 15 homers and 44 RBIs for the Yankees last season.

Also on Saturday, the Yankees optioned right-hander Clayton Beeter to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, selected the contract of left-hander Tanner Tully from the RailRiders and designated left-hander Nick Ramirez for assignment.

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