TAMPA, Fla. — DJ LeMahieu has expressed the same feelings of concern over his performance as many fans of the New York Yankees. “Definitely lost a lot of sleep,” he acknowledged on Tuesday.
LeMahieu, a three-time All-Star infielder, has struggled to maintain a fully healthy season since 2020. As he approaches his 37th birthday in July, he is eager to reclaim the level of hitting that once defined his career. “For most of my career, I basically played through most injuries unless something was really serious,” he remarked. “In recent years, though, it’s been a series of injuries, including a foot fracture, which are tougher to play through than I could before.”
With Gleyber Torres leaving Detroit as a free agent, Yankees manager Aaron Boone is moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, providing LeMahieu with an opportunity to get more playing time at third. Boone expressed optimism regarding LeMahieu’s skills, stating, “Hitting tends to age well. If he stays healthy, I believe he can still contribute. Whether it’s as an everyday player or in some sort of platoon role will depend on how his body holds up.”
LeMahieu originally joined the Yankees in January 2019 when he signed a two-year contract worth $24 million. During the shortened 2020 season, he achieved a career-best .364 batting average and secured his second batting title. The Yankees valued his performance and awarded him a six-year contract worth $90 million to keep him. However, his performance declined the following year, with a .268 batting average, and he was sidelined during the postseason due to a sports hernia that necessitated surgery.
In 2022, LeMahieu had a solid start with a .272 batting average in the first half but faced setbacks after receiving a cortisone shot for his right big toe and slumped to .228 afterward. Boone recalled a pivotal moment during an August weekend series at Fenway Park when LeMahieu’s at-bats shifted dramatically. Since that time, LeMahieu has recorded a .226 batting average along with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs across 224 games, resulting in a .637 OPS.
“It’s challenging to be someone the team can’t count on consistently,” LeMahieu admitted. Due to injuries, he missed the 2022 playoffs, ultimately diagnosed with a broken sesamoid bone in his right foot, which caused additional ligament damage.
In the first half of 2023, he batted .220 but improved to .273 in the latter half. However, LeMahieu suffered a broken right foot during a spring training game on March 16, which delayed his season debut until May 28. His season came to an early end on September 3 due to a right hip impingement, resulting in a career-low .204 average, two home runs, and 26 RBIs across 228 plate appearances. Acknowledging the skepticism surrounding his ability to rebound, he stated, “That’s fine. Throughout my career, there have been doubts. I’ll use it as motivation, but I have enough to focus on. If I can just be myself and keep working toward that, I’ll be alright.”
LeMahieu took a break from hitting for two months, aiming to allow his body a chance to recuperate before reporting to the Yankees’ minor league complex in mid-January. “I felt good,” he said about the process, adding, “But it’s easy to feel good in January.”
