BOSTON – When the Yankees reported to spring training, Aaron Boone made it known that DJ LeMahieu was his preferred leadoff man.
The versatile infielder, slotted to start at third base, looked “explosive” to the manager after a productive offseason. Then LeMahieu fouled a ball off his right foot on March 16, suffered a nondisplaced fracture, and didn’t make his season debut until May 28.
LeMahieu, mostly batting ninth with Anthony Volpe in the leadoff spot, has hit .188/.304/.188 with zero extra-base hits, four RBI, eight walks and 13 strikeouts over 15 games since coming off the injured list. He’s hit just six balls at least 300 feet.
He’s hardly looked explosive, yet Boone said he still sees what was there prior to the foot injury.
“I do,” the manager said. “I see it in his BP especially. But then again, you go through a long layoff and you’re kind of start and stop and getting yourself going. Even for as good a hitter as he is, sometimes it takes a minute to get in that rhythm. So he’s getting there. I don’t think he’s far off.”
To Boone’s point, LeMahieu did have a semi-productive weekend in Boston.
On Saturday, he picked up three RBI in the Yankees’ 8-4 loss. Two came on a soft single that found the outfield grass at Fenway Park. The other came on a groundout.
“I feel alright,” LeMahieu said after that performance. “We just haven’t got that consistent kind of groove yet. Kind of here, kind of there. But overall, I feel like I’ve been in a better and better spot.”
The 35-year-old went hitless in Sunday’s 9-3 loss, but he did walk. LeMahieu also smoked a 99.2-mph line drive for an out. That ball traveled 349 feet.
“He’s not all the way there yet,” Boone said, though he did note those results.
LeMahieu has reached base in all but three of his games so far, so he has that going for him.
However, some of his contact metrics, including xwOBA, average exit velocity and Hard-Hit%, are down from last year. While this year’s sample is still small, the two-time batting champ is also chasing at a higher clip.
With LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo having down years at the plate thus far, there’s been a lot of talk about the Yankees trading for a corner infielder. Such speculation preceded Rizzi exiting Sunday’s game with a right lower arm injury.
He was expected to undergo more tests on Monday.
As the Yankees await those results and the trade deadline, LeMahieu still has some time to display the explosiveness that Boone says is still there. If he doesn’t, however, he and Rizzo could force the Yankees to make a move, regardless of health.
“Hopefully, he’s started getting into that groove to where he’s hitting the ball on a line consistently,” Boone said. “Still working to get there.”
