The Yankees announced they’ve activated infielder DJ LeMahieu from the 10-day injured list earlier today. In a corresponding move, outfielder Tim Locastro was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. LeMahieu spent most of September on the injured list with right second toe inflammation.
LeMahieu has posted a .262/.358/.381 slash line in 120 games this season, good for a wRC+ of 117. While a far cry from his peak during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which saw him post a combined 8.2 fWAR in 195 games while placing in the top 4 of MVP voting in both years, LeMahieu’s production in his age 33 campaign can be seen as something of a bounce-back after a 2021 season that saw his defensive metrics slip while his bat hovered around league average (100 wRC+). With other infield options such as Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struggling at the plate this season, LeMahieu’s bat returning to the lineup should provide the Yankees with a boost to their infield headed into the postseason.
As for Locastro, while his hitting has left much to be desired (he’s slashed just .186/.239/.349 in 46 plate appearances with New York this season), he has served as a capable bench piece this season, effectively fielding all three outfield spots while swiping eight bags in just ten attempts. While Locastro will finish the regular season in Triple-A, he may be called upon by the Yankees for his baserunning skills during the postseason.
In other Yankees news, the team provided an update on injured utilityman Matt Carpenter. He took batting practice this afternoon and may take some live at-bats with Double-A Somerset in lieu of traveling with the big league club to Texas next week, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Carpenter has hit exceptionally for the Yankees this year, slashing .305/.412/.727 in 154 plate appearances, but has been on the injured list with a fractured foot since early August.
NIce! Yankees getting healthy for a deep playoff run.
DJ should bat leadoff to get Judge more RBI opportunities …. but will Boone put him there?
DJ is at risk of being left off the postseason roster unless he shows he can drive the ball again after this IL stint. His offense has been non existent since the foot injury
Ronk – All reports indicate the foot is fine now. They wouldn’t be activating DJ this late in the season if it wasn’t.
Don’t be so sure, FPG. If they assign playing time based on salary, it won’t be a novelty.
Yes, DJ is healthy enough to play but that doesn’t mean he’ll be right at the plate. Once he injured the foot, his ability to drive the ball to right field disappeared. If DJ continues to hit weak ground balls, I don’t expect him on the postseason roster. These last handful of games will likely serve as an audition
Fink – Quite true.
Well, DJ looked good enough at third base, but the offense didn’t show up — which is what we were seeing before he went on the IL. If he doesn’t show more at the plate and PDQ, I’d rather see Peraza getting at-bats.
.313/.405/.406/.812/ 133 OPS+/ 141 wRC+
Oswald already has an identical 0.3 fWAR in 22% of the plate appearances.
As for Giancarlo . . . gruesome showings so far.
Never mind. It looked good in the box, but not when I published it.
Can’t believe that they optioned Locastro. He is Boone’s favorite player.