DJ LeMahieu has been rehabbing from a calf injury that he sustained with the Yankees during Spring Training, as he’s played with the Double-A Somerset Patriots for the past week. While the rehab assignment has gone well from a results standpoint, with LeMahieu picking up six hits in 10 trips to the plate, there seems to have been a hiccup in his rehab process with his hip. The Yankees had LeMahieu get a cortisone shot, and he will not play tonight for Somerset, as he’ll rest to try and get into a game later in the week.
It’s a concerning situation for an injury-riddled player who is only getting older and has struggled to perform over the last season. With the Yankees’ lack of right-handed hitting on the roster, DJ LeMahieu has suddenly become a welcome addition to the roster, especially in the infield.
Third Base Continues to Bug Yankees, DJ LeMahieu Dealing With Hip Issues
The Yankees needed an infielder entering the 2025 season, but they opted to roll with what they had in-house instead of acquiring a bat for either second or third base. Third basemen on the Yankees have combined for an 86 wRC+ and 0.1 fWAR through the first 29 games of the team’s season, and they’ll need some help on that front, especially from the right-handed side.
Oswald Peraza and Pablo Reyes won jobs out of Spring Training and were seen as potential short-side platoon options with Oswaldo Cabrera, but neither hitter has taken up that job. Cabrera made an uncharacteristically high number of throwing errors to start the season (4), but his 109 wRC+ has provided a solid bottom-of-the-order presence that the Yankees need right now.
Where things get tricky is whether you can trust Cabrera to hit against LHP, as early on, he’s had some good numbers, but in his career, he’s usually struggled to hit from the right-handed side. DJ LeMahieu could be a short-side platoon option when healthy, but the Yankees are now monitoring a hip issue that required a cortisone shot.
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DJ LeMahieu has had hip injuries before, along with a slew of lower-body problems that have kept him off of the field during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. His six-year extension signed after the 2020 season has quickly become a massive mistake, with the team struggling to get anything resembling a healthy and productive season from him. His last postseason appearance came in 2020, and his last productive season came in 2022 when he posted a 116 wRC+.
It’s hard to rely on LeMahieu to play games and contribute when he’s constantly hurt, but it’s also hard to watch Reyes or Peraza try and hit lefties right now. No option from the right-handed side has truly stood out and it’s why Boone has felt comfortable at times letting Oswaldo Cabrera get at-bats from the right-handed side. Their lack of right-handed hitting depth has bit them in the behind at times, and their one internal option in LeMahieu may not be back on time.