TORONTO — The Yankees are just about ready to find out what DJ LeMahieu can give them the rest of the way.
LeMahieu, who has been out since Sept. 4 with a lingering toe injury, could be activated from the injured list as soon as Wednesday, for the series finale against the Blue Jays, or Friday to face the Orioles, according to manager Aaron Boone.
“The last couple days have been encouraging for him,” Boone said Tuesday before the Yankees continued their series at Rogers Centre. “Today he was out there [taking batting practice] off velocity and breaking balls and running the bases. So there’s a chance he could be in play [Wednesday]. If not, maybe I might push a little more towards Friday against the Orioles.
“But we’re about at that point of, let’s go give this thing a go.”
How LeMahieu looks at the plate during the final week of the regular season — the team has eight games left after Tuesday — will be critical in determining whether the Yankees carry him on their postseason roster.
At his best, LeMahieu can serve as a key cog atop the lineup, getting on base and putting the ball in play. But trying to play through the toe injury was clearly compromising LeMahieu’s offensive production, as he was unable to get off his best swing because of the pain he was feeling in his right (back) foot when trying to rotate. In his last 20 games before finally landing on the IL, the 34-year-old infielder was batting just 10-for-78 (.128) with no extra-base hits and 17 strikeouts.
“Everything is great,” LeMahieu said as he walked off the field after taking early batting practice and running the bases Tuesday under the careful supervision of coaches and trainers.
The Yankees have said that LeMahieu would still likely be less than 100 percent when he comes back, and will be until he is able to fully rest the toe during the offseason. But neither the veteran nor the team has the luxury of time at this point in the season.
LeMahieu’s return would again give the Yankees five infielders for four spots, though that wouldn’t be a problem over the final two series of the regular season because they would likely be looking to give starters some days off once the division has been clinched. If LeMahieu proves serviceable, it could force some tough decisions come the playoffs — since designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton has not played any outfield since returning from his own stint on the IL — but the Yankees have a lot to find out before having to make that call.
Boone said he didn’t expect LeMahieu to have any restrictions in the field once he does come back, but that isn’t the aspect that has given him trouble in the past.
“We’ll see if there’s anything that does hold [LeMahieu] back,” Boone said. “But I think this is probably going to be a hitting thing. Can he handle it? Can he hit at a level he needs to, we need him to, to be able to do it? We’ll see.”
LeMahieu’s situation is somewhat reminiscent of last year, when he tried to prove he could play through a sports hernia over the final days of the regular season before the Yankees finally shut him down because he needed surgery.
This time around, though, LeMahieu has been upping the intensity of his pregame work over the last few days to a point at which the Yankees are nearly ready to rip the Band-Aid off and find out what they have.
“Everyone’s been encouraged, most importantly DJ, that that’s moving in a pretty good direction,” Boone said.
