The New York Yankees have officially designated infielder D.J. LeMahieu for assignment, ending his impactful sevenyear run with the club.
At 36, and with a year and a half still left on his sixyear, $90 million contract, including roughly $22 million remaining, the move reflects a shift driven by recent offensive decline and defensive limitations.
LeMahieu was batting a respectable .266 with two home runs and 12 RBIs through 45 games in 2025, but his performance had noticeably dipped from previous seasons.
Once lauded for his consistency, boasting career averages of .289/.350 across 15 seasons, 126 home runs, and 663 RBIs, the veteran has struggled recently to maintain his former level at the plate.
Contributing to the decision was his inability to play third base due to lingering foot and leg injuries.
Having begun the season on the injured list for a left calf strain and sustaining a right hip issue in 2024, LeMahieu made it clear he was no longer physically capable of handling the hot corner, forcing the Yankees to reconsider his role.
Tough calls and shifting roles
Yankees manager Aaron Boone described the situation as emotionally taxing. “It’s been a tough couple of days, some hard conversations and then ultimately coming to this conclusion… Obviously, it’s not easy for what’s been a great player,” Boone said, calling the decision “difficult” but necessary.
He added, “He has done a lot of great things for this organization,” and extended the team’s best wishes to LeMahieu.
General Manager Brian Cashman echoed Boone‘s sentiments, emphasizing that roster flexibility was now the priority.
Cashman noted LeMahieu‘s range at second had become a liability and that the Yankees needed to provide Boone with more “chess moves” on a day-to-day basis.
With Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s return to second base, third base duties were reassigned to Jorbit Vivas and Oswald Peraza, freeing LeMahieu from daily defensive demands.
In response, the Yankees recalled infielder Jorbit Vivas from Triple A as a direct roster replacement.
LeMahieu, a three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion, first in the National League in 2016 and then the American League in 2020, was visibly affected by the demotion.
Boone acknowledged that the veteran’s reaction to being moved off the bench “was not necessarily great,” though LeMahieu didn’t request a release.
Despite the disappointing arc, LeMahieu leaves New York with significant accomplishments: a .278 batting average during his Bronx tenure, 77 home runs, 314 RBIs, two Silver Slugger awards, a Gold Glove, and two topfive MVP finishes.
Over his career with the Cubs, Rockies, and Yankees, he totaled 1,772 hits, placing him in the top 1.8% of all major leaguers all-time.
Now, the Yankees have seven days to trade him, release him to free agency, or place him on outright waivers. If unclaimed, he could land with another franchise looking to reinforce their infield.
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