First base option just materialized for the Yankees to avoid DJ LeMahieu starts

The New York Yankees were dealt a surprising injury blow with Anthony Rizzo set to miss at least one month with a fractured arm. While Rizzo has not been the All-Star MLB fans had been accustomed to this season, he has started 70 of the Yankees' 74 games at first base. There has not been a clear backup in place, and now the Yankees are going to have to figure something out in that regard.

What will likely happen is DJ LeMahieu will make the move across the diamond from third base to first base while Oswaldo Cabrera fills in at the hot corner. While that is what will likely happen, that doesn't mean that should be what happens.

Cabrera started the season hot but has cooled down substantially as the season has progressed. He has a .526 OPS in his last 35 appearances after putting up a .770 OPS in his first 20 games. As for LeMahieu, he doesn't have a single extra-base hit in 57 appearances, and he is hitting .188 on the year. Small sample size since he missed the first month of the season injured, but he has been a shell of his former All-Star self.

Testing out other options is what the Yankees should be doing, whether they're internal or external. An external option just materialized as the Oakland Athletics DFA'd J.D. Davis on Monday according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. He makes a ton of sense for a team like the Yankees.

Yankees should take a flier on J.D. Davis to avoid giving DJ LeMahieu regular starts at first base

Davis had established himself as a somewhat decent starter at third base with the San Francisco Giants, but when they signed Matt Chapman, they no longer had a need for Davis. They wound up releasing him giving the A's an opportunity to give him regular playing time.

Unfortunately, things didn't go too well for Davis with the A's. He's been limited to 39 games after missing almost a full month due to injury and is slashing .236/.304/.366 with four home runs and five RBI. Five RBI in 135 plate appearances is pretty hard to fathom, especially for a player who drove in 69 last season, but that's what Davis did.

He's not the most appealing option, but he has hit lefties well (.795 OPS against LHP this season), has 72 MLB games of experience at first base, and has been much better than LeMahieu.

Bringing Davis aboard would add some much-needed depth to their corner infield, and a change of scenery could get his bat going in the right direction. Davis, a hitter who has had a ton of success using right field as a right-handed hitter throughout his career, could be a nice fit for Yankee Stadium too.

They'd lose nothing by bringing him aboard. Worst case, if he plays poorly, they can let him go. Best case, he sticks around. Regardless, he'll almost certainly be better than LeMahieu, which is the ultimate goal here.