Yankees Predicted to Axe $90 Million Ex-All Star from Playoff Roster

Getty Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu

The Yankees are clinging to their spot in the American League playoff picture, surging ahead of the Orioles thanks to a three-game winning streak that has returned them to the top of the East. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but the postseason is likely, and with it will come difficult decisions.

The Bombers have had to cycle through a long list of players in a season marred by injuries and ineffectiveness, and will be picking their playoff roster, in many instances, based on papering over weaknesses rather than playing to strengths. In no area will that be quite so true as on the infield, where Yankees manager Aaron Boone has had to cope with terrible seasons from a number of players.

More than one of those won’t be playing a big role when October rolls around. According to a prediction from the New York Post, one of the biggest names who won’t be around for the Yankees at that point figures to be 36-year-old three-time All-Star D.J. LeMahieu.

Yankees Struggled All Season in Infield

It would be hard to justify LeMahieu landing a spot at this point in the season. He is batting .189 on the year, with a .263 on-base percentage and a .249 slugging percentage. It is a steep drop for a guy who was projected to be the starting third baseman and, potentially, the leadoff hitter this season.

Also difficult to justify would be the inclusion of rookie Ben Rice, who had a solid start filling in for Anthony Rizzo when Rizzo broke his arm but who has cratered since. Rice has seven homers in 46 games, but is batting just .183 on the year.

As the Post’s Greg Joyce wrote:

“First base is much less certain. Rizzo is currently working his way back from an arm fracture, but a scan last week showed he still has some more healing to do before starting a rehab assignment. So it remains to be seen how much of runway he will get. Until then, the Yankees have been trying to get LeMahieu back on track, without much success, while Ben Rice has cooled off from his hot start, even if he generally still has been hitting the ball hard. Can they really bank on either of them in October?”

DJ LeMahieu Not Long for New York?

The future is murky, at best, for LeMahieu, who signed a six-year, $90 million contract in 2021 with the Yankees and is owed $30 million over the next two seasons. In addition to being a three-time All-Star, LeMahieu is a two-time batting champ.

But the Yankees’ problems at third base this season began with LeMahieu suffering a bone bruise in his foot during Spring Training, which was bad enough to keep him out of the start of the season. When potential replacement Jon Berti also went down, the Yankees were left scrambling.

Eventually, the team executed the trade for Jazz Chisholm, who was converted to a third baseman for the first time in his career. He suffered an elbow injury after just 15 games.

LeMahieu batted just .243 with an OPS of .718 in 2023, and after finally returning to the lineup at the end of May, he struggled badly. He has hit just seven extra-base hits all season, and unless there is particularly bad news on Chisholm, his Yankees career could soon be ending.