Injuries & Moves: LeMahieu could miss Opening Day
LATEST NEWS
INJURY UPDATES
INF DJ LeMahieu (bruised right foot)
Expected return: TBD
LeMahieu might not be ready for Opening Day after sustaining what manager Aaron Boone described as “a pretty significant bone bruise” from fouling a ball off his right foot on March 16.
LeMahieu relayed soreness when he reported to the Yankees’ facility on March 17. An X-ray and CT scan came back clean, and LeMahieu also consulted with a specialist on March 18. Boone said that LeMahieu would be re-evaluated on March 21.
“On a foot that’s had some issues for him, I’m not going to have him playing through anything initially,” Boone said. “I feel like that’s where you start compensating and putting other parts of the body and that foot in jeopardy. I’ve been clear with DJ on that.” (Last updated: March 18)
OF Aaron Judge (abdominal discomfort)
Expected return: Possibly March 20
The Yankees plan to have Judge return to the lineup on March 20, manager Aaron Boone said. Boone noted that Judge performed well against high-velocity pitching machines on March 17 and against simulated breaking balls on March 18.
“We’ve been cautious,” Boone said. “We don’t want this to turn into something real, which I think is smart.”
Judge underwent an MRI exam, which was clean, on March 11 after reporting that he had been feeling discomfort for about a week, mostly on the follow-through of his swings. Judge went through defensive workouts on March 12 and underwent treatment on March 13.
Judge performed weight room and tee-and-toss cage work on March 15. Though Boone said that Judge was “penciled in” to resume play on March 16, Judge was not in the lineup. He performed defensive work and hit indoors on March 18.
“All I’ll say is we’re feeling pretty good,” Judge said. “The MRIs came back clean. I think a lot of it was precautionary; no need to risk stuff in Spring Training. ... The main goal is to be game ready for Opening Day, so we’re just going to work toward that." (Last updated: March 18)
RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow discomfort)
Expected return: Possibly May or June
Diagnosed with nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow, Cole said on March 16 that he will not throw for three to four weeks, then begin to “hit the ground running” to rejoin the team in-season. Cole said that he will keep his arm live during that time with plyometric exercises.
Cole underwent an MRI exam on March 11 after relaying difficulty bouncing back between his spring outings, likening his level of fatigue to what he usually would feel after throwing 100 pitches during the regular season. Cole had more testing performed on March 12, then traveled to Los Angeles on March 13 to visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache on March 14.
ElAttrache confirmed that there appears to be no damage to Cole’s ulnar collateral ligament. Cole was told that he can treat his ailing right elbow conservatively through rest and rehab, with the hope of returning to the rotation in 10-12 weeks.
“I think we’ve determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick this spring,” Cole said on March 16. “We progressed through the normal recovery cycle, but at a certain time, we didn’t get back to the baseline which was our target. At that point, it was time to see what was going on.” (Last updated: March 16)
INF Oswald Peraza (right sub-scapular strain)
Expected return: April/May
Peraza underwent an MRI on March 7 and a dye-contrast arthrogram on March 8, which showed a strain in the 23-year-old’s shoulder. He will be shut down from baseball activities for six to eight weeks, manager Aaron Boone said. Peraza’s shoulder issues began on Feb. 25, though he returned to the lineup on March 5, playing second base against the Mets and shortstop the following day against the Rays. (Last updated: March 12)
RHP Tommy Kahnle (right shoulder inflammation)
Expected return: April
Kahnle said on March 6 that he does not expect to pitch in games until the first week of the regular season, so it is unlikely that he will be on the Opening Day roster. Manager Aaron Boone said on March 4 that Kahnle “is a little behind” the rest of the relievers, adding that the right-hander is still building up following a shoulder issue that ended his season early last September.
Kahnle said he had hoped to begin his throwing program around Thanksgiving but was unable to do so until Dec. 12 due to lingering discomfort. He was pain-free as of March 6. (Last updated: March 6)
60-day IL
OF Jasson Domínguez (right UCL tear)
Expected return: June or July
Domínguez has increased his throwing to 75 feet and is expected to begin taking swings from both sides of the plate on March 11. He resumed hitting right-handed on Feb. 26.
“He’s doing really well,” manager Aaron Boone said on March 8. “Every time I check, he’s going great. He really hasn’t had any hiccups or bumps so far. He’s in great spirits, looks good, feels good.”
Domínguez was diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Sept. 10. He underwent Tommy John surgery on Sept. 20, which included the addition of internal bracing. Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Arlington.
The Yankees believe that he could be playing in Minor League rehab games sometime in April or May. (Last updated: March 8)
RHP Lou Trivino (recovery from Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Summer 2024
Trivino was re-signed to a Major League contract with an option for 2025 on Feb. 14. The Yankees expect Trivino, who has resumed a throwing program, to return at some point during the summer. Trivino underwent Tommy John surgery on May 3, 2023. (Last updated: Feb. 15)
RHP Scott Effross (Tommy John surgery, back surgery)
Expected return: Summer 2024
Effross underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2022 and began a throwing program on March 6, 2023. According to manager Aaron Boone, Effross began experiencing back discomfort in the fall, which prompted a microdiscectomy of his L-4 and L-5 vertebrae in December. Boone said that Effross will have “a slow ramp-up” with the goal of pitching in big league games sometime this summer. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Feb. 14.
"It was extremely disappointing," Effross said. "My ultimate goal is to be back as soon as possible for this team and be able to help this team win a World Series." (Last updated: Feb. 15)