What It Means:

LeMahieu suffered what was considered a "significant" bone bruise last week after fouling a ball off of his foot, and will now open the season on the injured list. The veteran hitter was expected to bat near the top (if not as the leadoff hitter) for the Yankees this season, opening up a potential high-value spot in the lineup for other bats in the lineup.

With LeMahieu sidelined, the Yankees could look to up-and-comer Anthony Volpe as their leadoff hitter to open the year. The second-year shortstop saw some run as the leadoff batter in his debut campaign, even as he struggled to a .209 average over 601 plate appearances. Still, the young infielder managed 21 homers in that same stretch and could benefit from extra reps near the top of the lineup this season.