SAN DIEGO — An important Yankees bench piece is back on the shelf, and could be there for a while.
As expected, Jon Berti landed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left calf strain that he suffered running out of the box in the ninth inning of Friday’s 8-0 win over the Padres at Petco Park.
Berti was set to undergo imaging to determine the extent of the injury, though it looked serious as he hit the deck after taking a few steps up the line and needed some help getting off the field.
The Yankees replaced Berti on the roster by selecting the contract of infielder Kevin Smith from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Smith is expected to be just a placeholder until DJ LeMahieu returns from the IL, likely on Tuesday in Anaheim.
To make room for Smith on the 40-man roster, the Yankees transferred LeMahieu to the 60-day IL, though he is still eligible to be activated on Tuesday.
Berti, acquired from the Marlins before Opening Day to bolster the Yankees’ infield depth, missed nearly a month earlier this season with a groin strain.
But in 17 games, he was batting .273 with four steals — including hitting .306 with a .748 OPS in 11 games since returning from the IL.
“He’s a really good complement to our team,” manager Aaron Boone said late Friday night. “The speed he brings, the defense he brings. We haven’t seen the defensive versatility that he has, just because third base has been the spot. He gives you the quality at-bat at the bottom of the order. He’s a good player.
“Hopefully this is something that doesn’t knock him down too long because he does become a very important part of our bench moving forward.”
Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera have done a solid job of filling in at third base while LeMahieu has been out with a non-displaced foot fracture.
The veteran LeMahieu was scheduled to play two final rehab games on Saturday and Sunday at Triple-A before joining the Yankees on Tuesday.
