The New York Yankees are gearing up to face off against the Miami Marlins on April 10 in the final game of a three-game series before they head on the road to take on the Cleveland Guardians.
Before the game, the Yankees made a few updates regarding utility infielder DJ LeMahieu and ace Gerrit Cole.
Yankees Are Waiting on Reinforcements
LeMahieu was taking on-field batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday afternoon prior to the game, and he will travel with the team to Cleveland and Toronto as he continues to build up toward game action.
LeMahieu is rebounding from a foul ball off his right foot, which led to a significant bruise. This spring, DJ hit .222/.276/.259, including four runs and three RBIs, with a 24.1% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate.
The hope is that he would offer the Yankees a premium lead-off hitter until Anthony Volpe is ready, but the team announced that Volpe would claim that job on Wednesday night after a red-hot start to the season.
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When the Yankees eventually get LeMahieu back, he will slot in at third base, replacing Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera. Last season, while he struggled, he was excellent after the All-Star break, right after they fired Dillon Lawson as the hitting coach. Over the final 220 at-bats of the season, he hit .273/.377/.432, including a .809 OPS.
Pivoting over to Gerrit Cole, the Yankees’ ace has started playing catch, throwing the ball, and making solid progress in his rehabilitation program. He’s expected to play catch again on Thursday, amounting to about 25 throws, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reported. He will remain in New York while the Yankees travel to Cleveland and Toronto, but he is still on schedule to make a return in early June.