Yankees' DJ LeMahieu has non-displaced fracture on top of right foot

HOUSTON — The Yankees at last have a diagnosis for DJ LeMahieu — but still no time frame for his return.

Aaron Boone disclosed Saturday that LeMahieu’s second MRI, which he underwent Friday, showed a “non-displaced fracture” on the top of his right foot, the result of hitting a foul ball off it during a spring training game March 16.

“Kind of akin to the bone bruise,” Boone said of the initial diagnosis announced by the team.

LeMahieu, 35, had an MRI the night of March 16, with that test showing the bone bruise. But because swelling can cover up a fracture, especially a small one, the plan from the start was for the infielder to have a second MRI.

“It doesn’t really change much,” Boone said. “It’s kind of tolerance as he builds up. And the last two days have been good. I think he actually hit in the cage yesterday. I know he feels a lot better. So we’ll re-image it in two weeks and see where he’s at, but it shouldn’t stop him from progressing.”

The injury is to the same foot that caused  issues in the second half of the 2022 season. In that case, it was a toe injury that might have lingered into 2023, an overall disappointing season for LeMahieu (though he did have a far better second half).

“It’s [a concern], which is why we’re not pushing it,” Boone said. “It’s not something that he’s going to play through. He’s going to be 100% [when he returns]. I think the sense is that it should be [fine] over time.”

But how long it will take until LeMahieu is fine remains a mystery. Because of the tricky nature of bone bruises, a timeline never was given, and that element isn’t any clearer with the fracture diagnosis.

“We’ll see,” Boone said. “It just depends how he progresses. He’ll do everything [baseball activities] he can tolerate. He was jogging yesterday, [doing his] throwing program, hit in the cage . . . Friday was significantly better than where he was Monday and Tuesday.”

Filling in for LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera had six hits in the Yankees' first two games.

Beeter down, Tully up

Clayton Beeter, whom the Yankees see as potential rotation depth or at worst as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen, threw a scoreless inning Friday night and was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Righthander Tanner Tully, solid in spring training, took his place.

Boone said Beeter, who threw only three pitches Friday, will stay “built up” while in Scranton.

“Hopefully [he’ll] be back here shorter rather than later,” Boone said. “Really excited about him and I know he’s going to help us a lot this year.”

Extra bases

The first person to tell Carlos Rodon — whose profuse perspiration had his uniform top completely soaked about an inning into his Friday start and engendered plenty of commentary on social media — to change his shirt? Gerrit Cole, of course . . . Gleyber Torres, who came out of Friday night’s game after taking a 93-mph fastball off his right thumb area, was back in the lineup Saturday night, leading off and at second base.