DJ LeMahieu’s first rehab game Tuesday lasted just one at-bat.
The veteran Yankees third baseman was removed from his game with Double-A Somerset due to right foot soreness, the team said, after striking out in his first at-bat and playing one inning in the field.
LeMahieu will return to New York on Wednesday to be re-examined by the Yankees’ team physician.
Manager Aaron Boone did not have much of an update on LeMahieu after the Yankees’ 4-3 win, other than he came out of the game “feeling something.”
It was a concerning development for LeMahieu, who had not played in a game since March 16 when he fouled a ball off his right foot and sustained a non-displaced fracture.
“I know how much he loves this team, this clubhouse, the game and how he was pushing to get back, so that’s tough,” Anthony Rizzo said. “I’m going to text him and see how he’s doing. Obviously whenever you have a setback, it’s not fun. But it’s about getting healthy and getting him right.”
The 35-year-old LeMahieu was initially supposed to start his rehab assignment Friday, but following an MRI exam Thursday, doctors wanted him to delay that by a few days to allow for further healing.
Boone said Tuesday afternoon that LeMahieu did not undergo a follow-up MRI on Monday but was cleared to start playing in games on Tuesday.
LeMahieu was supposed to play in four games this week and potentially join the Yankees next week in Baltimore, but that is now in doubt as the team holds its breath pending further testing Wednesday.
LeMahieu had been ramping up his workload over the past few weeks — including fielding ground balls at third base, taking batting practice on the field and doing a running progression that included cutting.
The Yankees had been adamant that LeMahieu would not rush his return, come back too soon and risk playing through something after a right foot injury derailed the second half of his 2022 season and the first half of 2023.