NEW YORK — This was long after the first and second wave of post-game questions that DJ LeMahieu handled in typical fashion – head down, all business, charisma-challenged.
His time on the Injured List has felt as endless as a Russian winter. But the worst is over. LeMahieu is back. He’s ready to do damage.
It was easy to skip over this surreal development, especially since LeMahieu whispered his way through the clubhouse interviews on Saturday. And besides, we’re all in the middle of the Juan Soto insult-fest in the Bronx.
This weekend’s Subway Series has obsessed over the news-makers like Soto and Aaron Judge. Everyone else is
just an accessory until Monday morning.
But peel away the layers of hype and there it was, the potential addition to the lineup the Yankees have been waiting for all season.
While the Mets squeezed by the Yankees, 3-2, LeMahieu had himself a terrific afternoon on both sides of the ball. He squared up in all four at-bats, including an opposite-field home run to right in the second inning. LeMahieu also threw out Francisco Lindor from his knees behind second base in the seventh inning, snuffing out a Mets rally.
The images of a healthy, athletic LeMahieu were almost impossible to believe. I pulled him aside after the group interview and asked the most critical question about a comeback that’s materialized out of nowhere.
“Are the skills you had five years ago still there?”
I picked the 2020 season for a reason. That was the last time LeMahieu was a force, a .364 batting champion. It’s been a steep slide ever since, culminating with last summer’s .204 embarrassment.
LeMahieu paused before admitting, “it’s going to be a challenge.”
I took that as a conditional yes. The bat-speed and power are still there; he barreled up on Mets’ starter Griffin Canning’s 95-mph fastball for his first home run since last July 31.
Even more impressive was LeMahieu’s eighth-inning line drive that, although caught by Soto, was nevertheless clocked at just under 107-mph.
LeMahieu took a moment to explain his caution.
“The big thing is staying healthy,” he said. “Right now I’m feeling really good, so the challenge is to keep it that way.”
LeMahieu knows what everyone’s been thinking over these last five years. He’s been hurt too often to turn back the clock. And whatever he’s got left in the tank isn’t enough to justify significant playing time.
LeMahieu is too shy to stand up to the criticism, at least not the way Soto does. But there was no mistaking the emotion after taking Canning deep.
LeMahieu pumped his fist as he circled the bases – a take that to the doubters (raised hand here), and the run of hard luck that’s forced him to miss almost 200 games between 2022 and 2025.
Clarke Schmidt spoke for the rest of the team when said LeMahieu is “playing with a chip on his shoulder.”
Attitude plus health plus catalyzed bat can only mean good things for Aaron Boone’s lineup. Remember, this is a Judge-driven offense. Without him, the Yankees are remarkably ordinary.
Case in point was the complete shutdown by Mets’ pitchers on Saturday. Judge was 0-for-5 with three
strikeouts, including a whiff that ended the game on Edwin Diaz’ 99-mph fastball.
So you bet LeMahieu can make a difference. Boone said, “It’s really encouraging to see DJ have those level of atbats in his first few outings here. He was phenomenal.”
The manager would be thrilled if LeMahieu could split time at third and second, say, 4-5 times week until Jazz Chisholm comes off the Injured List.
At that point the Yankees will roll the dice on LeMahieu’s durability for the rest of the season. He’ll be 37 in July with a history of breaks, strains and pulls to his hip, calf, foot and toe. So you and I have every reason to believe another setback is just around the corner.
But think of the timing of LeMahieu’s return to the lineup. He finished his latest rehab stint just as Oswaldo Cabrera tore up his ankle in Seattle last week.
The Yankees were frantically looking for ways to fill that deficit when LeMahieu somehow took them back to 2020 on Saturday.
That was the old DJ. The question is whether that’ll be the reborn DJ for the next five months.
“I feel like I’m finding my rhythm pretty quickly after coming off the IL,” he told reporters. “It’s only a couple of games, but I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot.”
LeMahieu then flashed a rare smile when he asked about playing with that chip on his shoulder.
“I feel like I always do,” LeMahieu said, knowing YES viewers see him as half-man, half-robot. And that ratio is debatable. But certain players don’t care about optics. Soto does, so does Chisholm. Judge doesn’t. And neither does LeMahieu.
That’s one reason the Yankees love the guy. LeMahieu stays in the background, avoids TV cameras whenever possible, is loyal to Boone’s program and never, ever showboats.
All LeMahieu has ever done is hit. Now all he needs are sturdy bones.
“DJ’s one of the best hitters in the game, I played against him for many years,” said Cody Bellinger. “It’s
exciting to have him back in the lineup again.”