LeMahieu sidelined with low-level groin strain

BOSTON -- DJ LeMahieu has been considered the Yankees' most valuable player through the first four months of their season, and as they attempt to fight out of a rough stretch, they may have to do so without the All-Star infielder's services.

LeMahieu was diagnosed with a low-level groin strain on Saturday, revealed by an MRI prior to the Yankees' 9-5 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. LeMahieu said that he sustained the injury during his second at-bat on Friday, and he does not believe he will require a stint on the injured list.

"If I had it my way, no, but we’ll see," LeMahieu said. "I'll probably test it out tomorrow morning. ... I could have [played on Saturday], but it probably wouldn’t have been the smartest thing to do, either."

LeMahieu entered Saturday as the American League's leading hitter with a .332 batting average, good for third in the Majors. He ranked third in the big leagues with 130 hits, fourth with 40 multihit games and seventh in the AL with a career-high 71 RBIs.

Earlier this week, catcher Gary Sanchez landed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain. Manager Aaron Boone is hopeful that LeMahieu can avoid the IL, though he said that LeMahieu is unlikely to start on Sunday.

"I think we're still kind of evaluating if it's something that he can grind through," Boone said. "We'll see how he's feeling [Sunday]. He feels pretty good and feels like he can get through this. It's an acute situation in there. We'll kind of get our arms around it as best we can over the next 24 hours and try to make a decision."

Injury report

• After being placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, Brett Gardner (left knee inflammation) returned to New York, where he had a cortisone injection. Boone said that the Yankees expect Gardner's stint on the IL to be brief; his IL assignment is retroactive to July 22, so Gardner could be activated for the Aug. 2-4 series against the Red Sox in New York.

• Dellin Betances and Luis Severino (right lat strains) continued their throwing programs across the left-field grass at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon, tossing from distances of 90 feet. Boone said that Betances could throw from the mound during the Yanks' upcoming homestand, with Severino thought to be "closely after that, as long as everything continues to go well."

• Jonathan Loaisiga (right shoulder strain) tossed a simulated game and is preparing to be sent on a Minor League rehab assignment. Boone said that the Yankees are eyeing Loaisiga as a multi-inning reliever when he returns to the Majors.

This date in Yankees history

July 27, 2015: Celebrating his 40th birthday, Alex Rodriguez hit a sixth-inning solo home run in the Yankees' 6-2 victory over the Rangers in Arlington, becoming the fourth player in Major League history to homer in his teens and his forties. The others are Ty Cobb, Rusty Staub and Gary Sheffield.