Yankees plan for veteran infielder to begin rehab assignment later this week

This season has been a disaster for DJ LeMahieu, who has yet to record a single appearance at the Major League level after fouling a ball off of his foot in Spring Training. With an unfortunate injury to a foot that he nearly had surgery on a year ago, the veteran is looking to finally get things started on his rehab assignment later this week. The Yankees have a plan in place to get him going either Thursday or Friday and while the previous two attempts ended in failure, they’re hoping the third time is the charm.

Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti have held their own in the meantime, but having more infield depth is a must with the struggles Gleyber Torres has had all season. His three-run blast in Tropicana Field can hopefully be a sign of better days for the 27-year-old infielder, but LeMahieu provides some extra depth in case he isn’t. There aren’t guarantees with him either though, as after having a strong 2022 season, DJ LeMahieu regressed to a mediocre 101 wRC+.

What the Yankees are hoping for is that the second half of his 2023 season is more indicative of things to come, although second-half results are not more predictive than full-season data. Age also factors into this conversation, as LeMahieu is in his mid-30s and likely in the declining stages of his MLB career, so there’s skepticism as to whether he can feasibly get better after being a year older and suffering another injury to his lower half.

Still, getting him back would be a positive for the Yankees, who know that Berti and Cabrera are better suited for utility roles with the squad.