LeMahieu's thumb 'pretty sore,' but on mend

NEW YORK -- DJ LeMahieu still isn’t sure what happened on the swing that necessitated a stint on the injured list, calling his sprained left thumb “a weird freak thing,” but the hot-hitting Yankees infielder is hoping to trim time from his estimated return date.

LeMahieu joined Bombers stars Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day IL as a result of the Aug. 15 injury, sustained while hacking at a fourth-inning pitch from Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. LeMahieu said that he has been told that the sprain will take two to three weeks to heal.

“It's frustrating because Judge and Big G are out. It’s bad timing,” LeMahieu said. “I pride myself on being out there every day ready to go. When you can’t, it sucks. It's a bad feeling not to be able to be out there.”

Through 17 games, LeMahieu batted an American League-best .411 (30-for-73) with a double, triple, two homers and eight RBIs. His batting average still ranks second in the Majors, trailing only the Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon (.429).

The Yankees have said that LeMahieu’s injury is similar to one that he sustained in May 2018 as a member of the Rockies. LeMahieu missed about 2 1/2 weeks then, though that injury also included a small fracture. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that LeMahieu’s current imaging showed no fracture.

“It's pretty sore,” LeMahieu said. “It’s a lot better now. We haven't really talked about swings yet, but I moved around out in the field today, just trying to keep doing as much as I can.”

All Rise at Citi?
Aaron Judge said that he was “begging” the Yankees not to place him on the injured list, believing that his right calf strain was mild enough to play in this week’s games.

Though Judge lost that battle, Boone said that Judge was able to run and throw on the field prior to the games on Monday and Tuesday, and he also took on-field batting practice.

Boone said that he believes Judge could be ready to play against the Mets at Citi Field on Saturday, the first day he would be eligible.

“I think it's still a possibility,” Boone said. “He's doing well and kind of on that trajectory, but again, that's something we'll continue to evaluate day by day as we get closer to Saturday.”

This date in Yankees history
Aug. 19, 2000: Thanks to an error by the Angels’ Ron Gant, the Yankees recorded three sacrifice flies in one inning, marking the third time it had been achieved in Major League history -- twice by the Yankees during the 2000 season. Jorge Posada, Scott Brosius and Clay Bellinger were credited with third-inning sacrifice flies in New York’s 9-1 victory.

Up next
Left-hander James Paxton (1-1, 7.04 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET, coming off a winning effort against the Red Sox on Saturday. Paxton’s velocity touched 94.8 mph in his last start, an encouraging sign as he recovers from lower back surgery performed in February. The Rays’ probable starter has not been announced. Catch the action on MLB.TV and MLB Network Showcase.