DJ LeMahieu is on track to return from a right leg contusion that has sidelined him since the spring.
LeMahieu took batting practice on the field Friday for the first time since his injury and said, “It felt really good.”
LeMahieu said he hasn’t started moving side to side on the field or running yet, so he needs to add to his list of baseball activities before starting rehab games.
“Right now it’s about rebounding,” Aaron Boone said before the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 9-8 at Stadium. “He’s a little [more] pain [Saturday].The biggest test is left and right movement [and] It’s not just running in a straight line. ”
Boone added that LeMahieu runs “about 90 percent” in a straight line.
“The important thing is how he recovers,” the coach said. “We just have to keep the needle moving.”
And LeMahieu said he was “encouraged” by his progress.
“Preparations are almost complete. [to playing in games]” LeMahieu said.
“I don’t think it’s going to be too long before he’s going to play, but he’s been down for a while, so we’re going to get him pitching and playing in games to get him back into shape,” Boone said. said.
LeMahieu declined to say when he will return to the Yankees’ lineup, but said he didn’t expect it would take much time to get back on the green because he had “almost a full spring training.” light.
And he reiterated that this injury is not delaying his return, as the same foot he injured two years ago limited his production and playing time.
“Same foot, different location,” LeMahieu said of his current injury.
LeMahieu added that he plans to increase his baseball activities while with the team this week and, if all goes well, he will discuss next steps with his staff, including rescanning his foot at some point.
“I’m happy to be back here,” said LeMahieu, who spent the opening week of the road trip rehabbing at the team’s facility in Tampa.
Boone said he checked in with former bench coach Carlos Mendoza in the midst of the Mets’ new manager’s 0-5 start to the season.
“I talked to him a few times,” Boone said. “He’s got to have steady hands and he’s ready for that with not only being here but everything he’s done in the game. He’s fine.”
In addition to dealing with Jonathan Loaisiga’s season-ending surgery, the Yankees are still waiting for Tommy Kahnle to return to the bullpen.
The right-hander, who was sidelined due to shoulder inflammation and not responding as well as the team had hoped, was throwing before Saturday’s game, and Boone said Kahnle is “planning to pitch in the bullpen sometime next week.” He said he believed that. ”
Gleyber Torres has been on base in all nine games with a walk and a double. This is the longest consecutive season start streak of Torres’ career. … Even without LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera continued to excel, playing fine at third base and scoring a single and a run on offense.
