Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees 'Committed' to LeMahieu at First Base, Odor at Second Until Voit's Return

The New York Yankees are committing to using infielder DJ LeMahieu at first base rather than veteran Jay Bruce until Luke Voit returns from left knee surgery

Max Goodman

NEW YORK — If you haven't already, get used to seeing DJ LeMahieu at first base and Rougned Odor at second in the Yankees starting lineup moving forward. 

After LeMahieu was penciled in at first once again on Saturday morning, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he's "committed" to using the infielder there rather than veteran Jay Bruce. 

"I think he's gonna get a lot of looks, a lot of time there," Boone said of LeMahieu. "I think you could expect to see him a lot there in the near future."

That opens the door for Odor to continue to get playing time at second after he was acquired from the Texas Rangers in a trade last week. 

Bruce began the season at first base every game, filling in for Luke Voit as he works back from left knee surgery. As much as the veteran earned the spot on the Opening Day roster this spring, that success hasn't carried over into the regular season by any means. Bruce is hitting .118 (4-for-34) over 10 games, striking out 13 times. 

"Right now he's not in the lineup, obviously," Boone said, reiterating his commitment to LeMahieu instead. "So we'll just we'll have to see."

Yankees Still Have Faith in Jay Bruce Despite Veteran's Slump to Start Season

Odor is making his sixth start in a Yankees uniform on Saturday, coincidentally entering play with the same .118 batting average as Bruce. The second baseman made a costly error on Friday night, but has also come up big for this team on offense a few times in his first few appearances. 

Asked about a possible roster move, calling someone up from the Alternate Site to fill in for Bruce, Boone said first baseman Mike Ford and utility man Tyler Wade are both on the Yankees' board. 

"Both of those guys are not eligible right now, because of the the 10-day send-down rules," the manager explained. "But, those guys along with a number of others, we're certainly watching closely and certainly could be in the mix at any time."

Voit is expected to return from surgery, to repair a partial meniscus tear in his left knee, as early as next month. Boone revealed that the slugger is scheduled to take some swings for the first time on Monday, building on his return to light fielding drills a few days ago. 

His return to the diamond, to Boone, is on the "horizon."

"I haven't looked at the calendar with [Voit] and the trainers about the plan, but it shouldn't be too far off," Boone said. Now. Whether that's another two, three weeks. I wouldn't want to put a timetable on it, but we certainly like the progress that he's making."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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