LeMahieu on IL for toe injury: 'It's clearly compromised him'

NEW YORK -- DJ LeMahieu’s power was largely absent in the second half as he attempted to grind through an injury to his second right big toe, an issue that finally sent the Yankees infielder to the club’s crowded injured list on Thursday.

The move to place LeMahieu on the 10-day injured list is retroactive to Monday; LeMahieu has not played since Sunday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that LeMahieu has been using orthotic inserts and receiving treatment, but his inflammation issue may not completely resolve until the offseason.

“It hasn’t worked well enough,” Boone said. “They’ll continue to confer on what courses of action to take so we can get him to a point where he’s the player we all expect. Playing through [the injury], we haven’t been able to get there.”

In a corresponding move, the Yankees recalled infielder/outfielder Miguel Andújar from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while also activating left-hander Nestor Cortes from the 15-day injured list. Cortes was the starter for Thursday night’s game against the Twins.

LeMahieu is batting .262/.358/.381 with 18 doubles, 12 homers and 46 RBIs in 120 games this season, but he slumped significantly in the second half. Since Aug. 1, LeMahieu is batting .187/.254/.243 (20-for-107) with just four extra-base hits.

Boone said the toe has kept LeMahieu from driving the baseball, pinpointing the Yanks’ Aug. 12-14 series at Boston as the initial injury dates. Boone said he is “concerned” that LeMahieu may not be able to return during the regular season.

“DJ has been dealing with this now for a few weeks where I think it’s clearly compromised him,” Boone said. “There’s that concern, but there’s also hope with that. Hopefully this timeout and this rest, the things they get to free it up, so he can get back to being really productive for us.”

Outside of Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ recent lineups have borne little resemblance to the powerhouse orders that marked the club’s first-half surge.

Among others, New York is proceeding without first baseman Anthony Rizzo (migraines related to epidural injection), third baseman Josh Donaldson (paternity leave), infielder/outfielder Matt Carpenter (broken foot) and outfielder Andrew Benintendi (hamate bone).

Additionally, outfielder/DH Giancarlo Stanton is active but not in the lineup because of a left foot/ankle injury. Stanton is 4-for-38 (.105) since returning from a stint on the IL for a left Achilles injury.

“We’ve talked about it all the time as a team,” Boone said. “During a season, adversity is coming for you. You’ve got to be able to deal with it, handle it, get through it and continue to move forward. That’s where we’re at.”