DJ LeMahieu is working to recover from a left calf strain that limited his participation in the Grapefruit League. Manager Aaron Boone anticipates LeMahieu will be ready for live at-bats in about a week, although his history of leg and foot troubles raises concerns about his performance potential. In LeMahieu's absence, the Yankees have utilized Oswaldo Cabrera at third base, but the team's need for a consistent performer there remains critical. Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt prepares for a pending return from rotator cuff issues, eyeing a mid-April comeback in the rotation.
DJ LeMahieu has been doing baseball activities as he prepares to return from the left calf strain that shut him down in his first Grapefruit League game of the spring. Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that LeMahieu was "probably a week away from heading out and getting live at-bats and starting the clock." Since LeMahieu lasted less than a game in the spring, he'll need some time to build up and until that happens, questions will persist about what he has left in the tank.
Clarke Schmidt is scheduled to make a rehab start with Double-A Somerset on Saturday - weather permitting - and then another minor league outing before a potential return to the rotation from rotator cuff tendinitis by the middle of April, perhaps against the Royals on April 15 or 16.
With LeMahieu out, the Yankees have played the switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera at third base consistently, but the position remains one that could be upgraded if LeMahieu doesn't prove to be the answer and Cabrera fails to hit consistently.
He's getting close to that point. It will probably be a pretty big buildup.
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