DJ LeMahieu is back in action.
The Yankees infielder began another rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday, nearly a month after his initial rehab stint ended with a setback in his injured right foot.
LeMahieu, who suffered a non-displaced fracture in the foot during spring training, started at third base and batted second Friday for the Patriots. He recorded an RBI single in his first at-bat.
The 35-year-old is likely more than a week away from joining the big-league club, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday, but he could be back at some point during the team’s upcoming nine-game West Coast swing.
“I think a week is probably not realistic, just because he’ll need a little bit of a buildup, and with off days in there, so I think it’s possible at some point on the trip,” Boone said. “But I don’t expect the start of it, certainly.”
The Yankees began a seven-game homestand Friday with the first of three against the Chicago White Sox. They’ll host the Seattle Mariners for a four-game series in the Bronx next week before embarking on their trips to San Diego, Anaheim and San Francisco between May 24 and June 2.
LeMahieu suffered the fracture on March 16 when he fouled a ball off of the foot. He played in his first rehab game on April 23 with Double-A Somerset but lasted only one inning before leaving the game with soreness.
He was then shut down for a week after being diagnosed with swelling in the foot and has ramped up his baseball activities over the weeks since.
A two-time batting champion, LeMahieu posted a career-low .243 average in 2023 but hit .273 in the second half.
Boone spoke in the spring about his desire for LeMahieu to be the Yankees’ leadoff hitter ahead of superstar sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Known for his positional versatility, LeMahieu was supposed to begin the year as the primary third baseman.
Second-year shortstop Anthony Volpe has largely operated as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter in LeMahieu’s absence.
Volpe entered Friday with a .273 average and a .348 on-base percentage, and while those numbers dipped to .243 and .320 when he hit out of the leadoff spot, the 23-year-old has been on a tear of late. He took a nine-game hitting streak into Friday’s series opener and boasted four multi-hit outings over that stretch.
“Even when he went through a little bit of a downturn, I’m seeing just a consistent approach,” Boone said of Volpe. “As I’ve said a lot with him, I think he’s a way better hitter than he was even at the end of last year. He’s made noticeable adjustments that are still accentuating the things that he does really well but also are making him consistently a much tougher out.”
Last year, Volpe hit 21 home runs and stole 24 bases, making him the first Yankees rookie to record a 20-20 season. He also won a Gold Glove at shortstop but hit .209 and said after the season that he “didn’t even come close to cutting it.”
“I think his swing is better, so there’s more margin for error within his swing,” Boone said Friday. “He’s using the entire field better, so I think that’s allowing him to see the ball longer and ultimately make better swinging decisions.”
KAHNLE’S CLOSE
The Yankees bullpen could soon receive a big boost, as Boone acknowledged it is “possible” Tommy Kahnle could join the team as soon as Tuesday.
The right-hander hasn’t pitched this season after experiencing shoulder inflammation in spring training.
“He’ll go again Sunday, is the plan, and then we’ll kind of evaluate where we’re at from there,” Boone said Friday.
Kahnle has thrown four scoreless, hitless innings over four rehab appearances with Single-A Tampa and Double-A Somerset since May 8. That includes a dominant 1-2-3 inning with Somerset on Thursday in which he struck out the side.
Kahnle pitched to a 2.66 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 40.2 innings for the Yankees last season.
