In early 2024, DJ LeMahieu was the talk of spring training. Aaron Judge said he expected him to lead off for the New York Yankees. Aaron Boone said LeMahieu came into camp more explosive than in previous seasons. The buzz coming out of Tampa, Fla. was The Machine had rebooted, but a freak foot injury caused LeMahieu’s season to go haywire before it officially began.
The Yankees currently have a vacancy in their infield at either third or second base depending on where the club decides to use Jazz Chisholm Jr. That’s allowed LeMahieu the opportunity to show why he should be reinserted into the Yankees’ starting lineup once again.
With Gleyber Torres’ Yankees career officially over after he signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, LeMahieu is an internal candidate. Even with declining production rates since he won the 2020 American League batting title, the Yankees are suggesting LeMahieu could be an everyday option in 2025.
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“I don’t want to rule that out because I feel like whatever we’ve seen the last couple of years and what’s in your mind, good health goes a long way in potentially putting him right back into the mix,” Boone said earlier this month at the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas.
LeMahieu’s Yankees tenure has been derailed by injuries since his MVP finalist season in 2020. A toe injury on his right foot ended his 2022 season prematurely. A foul ball off that same foot in spring training this year ended any hopes of him continuing the momentum he built in the second half of the 2023 season.
It’s not just the foot injuries that have limited him in the past few years. A hip impingement ended his 2024 season, and a sports hernia held him out of the 2021 Wild Card game. LeMahieu has not played a Yankees postseason game since the 2020 season.
But since LeMahieu’s spectacular 2020 season, his offensive production has cratered. Among all players with at least 2,000 plate appearances since the start of the 2021 season, LeMahieu’s 99 wRC+ is tied with his new teammate, Cody Bellinger, for the 10th-worst in MLB. Check out this graph from FanGraphs, which starkly illustrates how LeMahieu has plunged from being a solid offensive contributor to one of MLB’s most underwhelming hitters over the past four seasons.
His slugging and on-base percentages have dipped, his line drive rate has tanked and his ground ball percentages have increased. Over the past four seasons, nothing in his profile suggests LeMahieu is primed for a resurgent year. But he’s owed $30 million over the next two seasons, and the Yankees are financially incentivized to see if LeMahieu still has some juice left in his bat.
“I believe he’ll be healthy going into camp, and he’s looking forward to erasing the tough memories of the last two seasons,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “The injuries have derailed him. I know before the most recent injury hit, he looked good in spring. We started to get excited — that’s the guy. (This) is a new year. We’ll see what happens.”
The Yankees do not currently have any viable internal candidates to fill the vacant infield spot, which leaves LeMahieu a possibility if the club neither trades nor signs anyone externally. Oswaldo Cabrera could be an option, but the Yankees believe he’s better in a utility role where he could fill multiple positions when necessary. Oswald Peraza is out of minor-league options and would need to make the 26-man roster at the end of spring training or else they would have to designate him for assignment, leaving him exposed on waivers. Peraza was once a top prospect but his value has dropped considerably since Anthony Volpe beat him in a head-to-head battle for the starting shortstop job two seasons ago. Another club would likely claim him on waivers if he were to be DFA’d. Jorbit Vivas made some noise last spring training, but he finished with a .706 OPS in the minor leagues this season. The Yankees traded Caleb Durbin, who was seen as the favorite to win the starting job at second base, as part of the package to land closer Devin Williams.
If the Yankees were to sign a free agent at second base, Ha-Seong Kim could make sense. Part of the reason why the Yankees wanted to replace Torres at second was because of his poor defense and baserunning. Pairing Kim and Volpe up the middle would give the Yankees an elite double-play combination. Kim would also be another player who could eclipse 20 steals. The Yankees finished the 2024 season as the worst baserunning team in MLB. One issue with Kim is he’s coming off of shoulder surgery and not expected to be available at the start of the regular season. He’s also just a slightly above-average bat who doesn’t offer much slugging upside.
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Other available options at second base in free agency are Jon Berti, whom the Yankees non-tendered, Brendan Rodgers, Brandon Drury and Jorge Polanco. Because of Chisholm’s positional flexibility, they could also consider bringing in a third baseman. Alex Bregman remains available, but it would require an additional two draft picks and international free agency money because the Houston Astros gave him the qualifying offer. Part of why the Yankees didn’t pursue first baseman Christian Walker heavily was because of this reason; the Yankees already lost draft picks and IFA money when they signed Max Fried. Outside of Bregman, Yoán Moncada, a former No. 1 overall prospect, is available but has not yet lived up to his hype and has been oft-injured. Josh Rojas and Patrick Wisdom are options, too.
The trade market could be a route the Yankees explore. They have been linked to St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, but there hasn’t been any movement there. The Detroit Tigers are in the mix to sign Bregman, which could make them a potential trade partner. The Tigers have Matt Vierling, who would be an option for the Yankees to consider.
Whatever the Yankees do, it would be a mistake to think LeMahieu, at 36 years old, will turn back the clock and become a viable starter again. Players his age who’ve shown a consistent decline for several seasons running are rarely able to rediscover their past success.
“I’m still not going to be surprised if DJ hits for us on some level again,” Boone said. “It comes down to health and can he maintain that health. I feel really good about where he was at the end of the season physically. Can he maintain that, improve upon it in the winter and put himself in the mix heading into spring training? I would never cross off a player of his caliber, even though it’s obviously been a tough couple of years.”
(Photo of LeMahieu: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
