DJ LeMahieu reported to Yankees camp healthy and eager to prove his doubters wrong.
Just a few weeks later, however, an MRI has revealed a Grade 1 or 2 calf strain for the third baseman. The injury will sideline LeMahieu for at least a couple weeks, according to the New York Post’s Greg Joyce, though the 36-year-old was waiting to talk with team doctors to get an exact timeline.
LeMahieu injured his calf during his spring debut last Saturday.
Health has been hard to come by for LeMahieu over the last several years. Among other issues, he dealt with two significant foot injuries between 2022 and 2024. Last spring, he broke his foot on a foul ball in spring training. He returned to the lineup midseason, only to endure the worst campaign of his career.
LeMahieu slashed .204/.269/.259 with seven extra-base hits, two home runs, 26 RBI and a 52 wRC+ over 67 games. A hip injury then ended his season in September.
“I definitely lost a lot of sleep,” LeMahieu said at the start of camp when asked about his lack of availability. “It’s tough to be a guy that the team can’t rely on at times. I always take pride in that, so to not be able to do that, it’s definitely frustrating. But at the same time, I haven’t lost my passion for helping this team and my passion for this team. So that keeps me going.”
The plan was for LeMahieu to compete for the Yankees’ third base job, but his latest injury essentially guarantees he won’t be ready for the start of the season. That leaves Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza as the Yankees’ remaining options at the hot corner; the more experienced Cabrera is considered the favorite for the job.
The Yankees could always explore external candidates, especially when teams trim rosters at the end of spring training. Either way, it will be interesting to see how the club handles LeMahieu whenever he is ready to return.
In addition to battling injuries, the two-time batting champ has shown steady decline over the last four years; he has a 99 wRC+ over that span. He’s also owed $30 million over the next two seasons, so moving on from the respected veteran would be a costly decision for the Yankees to make.