DJ LeMahieu has been the glue holding this team together over the last few seasons. Sure Aaron Judge has been a clubhouse leader and now captain, but LeMahieu has been much more than a first mate. So when he appeared to be slumping, fans and the media became worried that the Yankee all star and gold glover was masking an injury.
"The Yankees and LeMahieu say his current slump is just that — a simple dip in performance, nothing to see here. But it’s gone on long enough to become a problem for New York, which once again saw its bats struggle, this time in a 5-1 loss to the Padres at Yankee Stadium on Friday night," reported The Athletic. And if you caught Saturday afternoon's game, you saw LeMahieu tie the game with a home run, setting his team up for a 3-2 walk-off win against the Padres in the bottom of the 10th.
"LeMahieu said his toe isn’t a problem. He decided to not have surgery after three different doctors suggested three different surgeries for him this offseason. Instead, LeMahieu rehabbed it, spending lots of time at the team’s player development complex in Tampa from November until spring training began. The Yankees may, however, think they have been leaning too hard on LeMaheiu," reported The Athletic.
Yet, the Yankee utility infielder started Saturday's game with zero extra-base hits over his last 32 plate appearances. In fact as the Daily News points out "The liner was LeMahieu’s first longball since May 10 and his first extra-base hit since May 16, but he said he didn’t change anything going into the day."
This Yankee team, similar to years past, has been bitten by the injury bug. And LeMahieu needs to be ready and able to contribute to this team. As The Athletic mentions, "His recent slide has been worrisome for the Yankees, who can’t just rely every night on Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres, especially with Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) not expected to come off the injured list for at least another week and multiple other bats struggling." DJ needs to be okay and keep ensuring he is at his best, physically and mentally. However, he is allowed to slump here and there. I mean everyone will go through bouts where they are not seeing the ball well or missing pitches. I am not giving him a pass, I am only pointing out reality.
Perhaps Saturday's home run is a page turner for LeMahieu, snapping his slump just in time for a rubber game with the Padres, a West Coast trip and the start of June. So, look for another story because there is nothing wrong with DJ LeMahieu. He's the glue of this team and he will continue to provide the Yankees much needed support all season long. Which remember, is over six months long.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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