Injuries & Moves: LeMahieu on track to play in Double-A game
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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
INF DJ LeMahieu (non-displaced fracture of right foot)
Expected return: Late May
LeMahieu was set to go through a full workout with Double-A Somerset on May 16, and he is expected to play in a game on May 17, according to manager Aaron Boone.
“He’ll play the field probably three, four, five innings, whatever the first step is,” Boone said. “Hopefully he’ll play Sunday again and then build up the following week.”
LeMahieu has not played in a big league game this season after sustaining the injury on a foul ball March 16. He first began a rehab assignment on April 23, but that was shut down after only one inning when LeMahieu experienced soreness in the foot. The team is doing everything it can to avoid a repeat of that scenario.
“We feel like he’s in a really good spot physically. Part of the reason it has taken a long time is because he and us are going to be absolutely committed to this thing not being an issue when he goes to play,” Boone said. “We want him to check all the boxes as far as physically being able to move really well, physically being able to handle a heavy workload, a volume of swings and all that. And by all accounts, he’s ready to go.” (Last updated: May 16)
RHP Tommy Kahnle (right shoulder inflammation)
Expected return: Possibly May
Kahnle struck out the side on 10 pitches on May 14 in his first rehab appearance for Double-A Somerset. It was his third rehab outing overall after two appearances with Single-A Tampa. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Kahnle is scheduled to pitch again on May 16 and 18 before the club decides when to activate him.
Kahnle was slow-played during the spring after right shoulder inflammation ended his 2023 season and delayed his winter throwing program until Dec. 12. Though Kahnle was aiming to rejoin the Yankees when eligible on April 9, he experienced soreness after a throwing session on or around April 1, prompting the club to delay him further. (Last updated: May 15)
INF Oswald Peraza (right sub-scapular strain)
Expected return: Possibly late May
Peraza began a Minor League rehab assignment with Single-A Tampa on May 7, then had his rehab assignment transferred to Double-A Somerset on May 10. He is still expected to be several weeks away from being ready to play in Major League games.
Manager Aaron Boone said Peraza will need to build up before he would be an option to rejoin the club.
"He's kind of got to go through a full Spring Training of games now. So he'll have a pretty long runway," Boone said on May 7.
Peraza had been hitting and going through a throwing program at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla. He began throwing regularly during the first week of April following his injury, which began as tightness in his shoulder on Feb. 25. Peraza briefly returned to Spring Training action in early March, but the issue persisted when he threw across the diamond. (Last updated: May 10)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
OF Jasson Domínguez (right UCL tear)
Expected return: June or July
Domínguez began his Minor League rehab assignment by going 1-for-3 with a walk for Single-A Tampa on May 14. It was his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall. Domínguez will serve as a designated hitter for the first two weeks of his assignment, which could see him promoted to higher levels as his rehab progresses. Aaron Boone indicated the Yankees have no intention of rushing Domínguez through his recovery.
“Let’s just get out of his way right now and get him right and get him playing and get him the regular reps,” Boone said, “and then we’ll see where we are, hopefully in 10 days, two weeks from now, when we’re now getting him into the outfield and starting to really build him up.”
The 21-year-old Domínguez was diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Sept. 10, 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery 10 days later, which included the addition of internal bracing. Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Arlington. Domínguez resumed hitting right-handed on Feb. 26, then began taking swings from both sides of the plate in mid-March. (Last updated: May 15)
RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow discomfort)
Expected return: Possibly June
Cole threw “about 36 pitches” in a bullpen session on May 14 at the Yankees’ facility in Tampa, Fla. Boone said Cole would next return to New York and characterized the outlook for Cole as “just onward and upward.” Cole threw 29 pitches from a bullpen mound at Tropicana Field on May 11, saying that his velocity sat around 89 mph.
“The fastball profiles were good, and the location was good,” Cole said. “The velocity was where we wanted it. There were a lot of strikes.” He resumed throwing off a mound on May 4 at Yankee Stadium, throwing 15 fastballs, and threw another bullpen session on May 7. "We’re making good progress,” Cole said.
Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, is expected to need at least four to six weeks to ramp up once he begins pitching. Cole underwent an MRI 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. He had more testing performed on March 12, then visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on March 14. ElAttrache confirmed that there was no damage to Cole’s ulnar collateral ligament. (Last updated: May 14)
RHP Lou Trivino (recovery from Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Summer 2024
Trivino experienced right elbow inflammation in late April and was shut down for three to four weeks, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on May 12.
“He won’t throw for a couple of more weeks, and then [will] start ramping up again,” Boone said. “They feel like it’s kind of minor.”
Trivino was seen by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, as well as team doctors, who performed imaging and confirmed no damage to the pitcher’s ulnar collateral ligament. Trivino is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on May 3, 2023. (Last updated: May 12)
RHP Scott Effross (Tommy John surgery, back surgery)
Expected return: Summer 2024
Effross is moving closer to facing hitters, manager Aaron Boone said on May 12. The hurler is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in October 2022, though he began experiencing back discomfort in autumn 2023, which prompted a microdiscectomy of his L-4 and L-5 vertebrae in December. (Last updated: May 12)
RHP JT Brubaker (recovery from Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Second half of 2024
Brubaker, who was acquired from the Pirates on March 29, is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on April 12, 2023. He has been targeting the All-Star break for a big league return. Brubaker faced DJ LeMahieu in live batting practice on May 11 at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla. Manager Aaron Boone has said that Brubaker is on track to be an option for the club sometime during the summer. (Last updated: May 11)
RHP Jonathan Loáisiga (right UCL tear)
Expected return: 2025
Loáisiga said on April 6 that he has a torn UCL and needs season-ending surgery. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure, which Loáisiga said has an estimated recovery time of 10 to 12 months. Loáisiga was placed on the 60-day injured list on April 5, retroactive to April 4. (Last updated: April 6)