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File this under potentially catastrophic news: The Yankees removed DJ LeMahieu from Saturday night’s game against the Red Sox after the infielder appeared to injure his wrist.
While batting against Nathan Eovaldi in the fourth inning. LeMahieu took a big swing that caused his front wrist to come off the bat. He shook his left hand a few times and was in obvious pain, causing Aaron Boone to run out and check on him. LeMahieu regrouped, finished his at-bat, then played the field in the next inning.
Tom Hanslin has footage of the swing, and it doesn’t look pretty:
Scary moment for the #Yankees, as LeMahieu appeared to be in some pain after a swing. Boone and the trainer came out to look. LeMahieu stayed in and then grounded out. pic.twitter.com/IzNv2fE1n1
— Tom Hanslin (@TomHanslin) August 16, 2020
But before the sixth, Boone replaced LeMahieu with Tyler Wade. This isn’t surprising, because it’s his glove hand and he likely needed to ice it immediately. Still, it’s concerning, especially as the Yankees have already lost Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge this week.
LeMahieu, 32, remains one of the most productive players in the league, hitting .411/.456/.534 with two home runs (177 wRC+). He will be a free agent at the end of the year.
UPDATE (9:25 PM): The team announced the LeMahieu has a sprained left thumb, and he will undergo an MRI for further evaluation. Joel Sherman reminds us that LeMahieu had a similar injury in 2018, and he missed two and a half weeks.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to Pinstripe Alley for more updates as they become available.