Is This The End of DJ LeMahieu?

DJ LeMahieu is on the IL for a hip problem and may not return this season. Could the effects be bigger than that?

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The Injury History of DJ LeMahieu:

Over his first 7 seasons playing in the MLB (2011-2017), DJ LeMahieu was a well oiled machine who could be counted on to play every day. Even in his first three seasons (2011-2013) where LeMahieu was splitting time between the MLB and MiLB, he still played more than 140 games per year.

From 2011-2017 and between the MLB and MiLB, DJ LeMahieu played in 827 major league games with an additional 202 minor league games. This comes out to an average of 147 games per season. (And it doesn't count another 135 games played in the minors in 2010.)

However, since 2018 (his last season with the Rockies), DJ LeMahieu has needed to miss time on 10 different occasions (9 being injuries, 1 being a 1-day paternity leave). That comes out to an average of over 1 injury a year, with those being:

• 2018 - Right hamstring strain: Out from April 28 to May 8

• 2018 - Left thumb sprain: Out from May 14 to June 1

• 2018 - Left oblique strain: Out from July 21 to August 2

• 2020 - Undisclosed injury: Out from July 7 to July 23

• 2020 - Left thumb sprain: Out from August 16 to August 29

• 2021 - Undisclosed injury: Oct from October 3 to October 11*

• 2022 - Right toe inflammation: Out from September 5 to September 30

• 2024 - Right toe contusion: Out from March 25 to May 28

• 2024 - Right hip impingement: Out from September 9 to TBD*

*Denotes that DJ LeMahieu ended the season on the IL

It is also not a good sign that in 3 out of the last 4 seasons (2021-2024), an injury has occurred to LeMahieu after the trade deadline. While there is no one root cause to explain all these occurrences, the reality of a 35-year-old player breaking down in September isn't unheard of. Additionally, this trend, that when the season gets to its most important part DJ LeMahieu is not available, is concerning.

Or, it would be, if this didn't serve to advantage the Yankees.

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"Hiding" DJ LeMahieu:

It should come as no surprise that DJ LeMahieu going on the IL at this point of the season is a good thing for the New York Yankees.

(Just to be clear: I am not happy DJ LeMahieu is hurt. I never root for injuries to any player in any sport. However, the facts and stats clearly show the Yankees are a better team without him on the active roster.)

This season, DJ LeMahieu- over 67 games- had hit to a .204/.269/.259 triple-slash with a .527 OPS and a 50 OPS+. Across the MLB, 12 qualified hitters have a SLG higher than LeMahieu's OBP and SLG combined!

Additionally, one of DJ LeMahieu's biggest skills was that he was a plus-defender while being able to play in a super utility role. Unfortunately, in 2024, LeMahieu posted the worst dWAR (-0.7) that he has ever had in his career. It's also just the second time it's ever been in the negatives (the other being -0.2 dWAR in 2021).

So, what can a team do with a player whose bat is half that of a league-average player and whose calling card with his defense is also falling off?

Well, we don't have to look too far in the past to find an answer: The Yankees can "hide" DJ LeMahieu. Let me explain what I mean.

A few years ago, the Yankees had a player who was making a lot of money who wasn't living up to the contract they signed him to in the mid-2010's. (Shocker, I know.) This player was a contact-first hitter whose bat started to fall below league average standards. This player was also supposed to be a great defender, whose glove wasn't meeting the expectations. He played his last game in 2017, but stayed under contract until the Yankees released him after the 2019 season, with the Yankees eating the cost of his final contract year.

That player- if you haven't guessed him by now- is Jacoby Ellsbury.

Though the Yankees paid him $21.8 million per year in 2018 and 2019, for both of those seasons, Jacoby Ellsbury went on the 10-Day IL in late-March, was moved to the 60-Day IL in April/May, and was activated again when the season was over in November. He didn't play any minor league games as part of rehab protocols. He didn't play at all. He was hurt the whole time.

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Now, I don't believe in corporate fraud. I don't believe in lying to the shareholders. I don't believe in lying to the fans. Heck, just this past February, the GM of the New York Mets- Billy Eppler- was suspended through the 2024 season for fabricating injuries to create open roster spots.

I don't want that to happen to Brian Cashman. (Even as much as I think his moves aren't the best and the Yankees should move on from him.)

And I'm not saying the Yankees should lie about injuries.

But, Billy Eppler was not the only GM in baseball doing this.

And, what happened to Jacoby Ellsbury could happen to DJ LeMahieu.

It isn't impossible to think that the Yankees could find an injury for a breaking-down aging player, give him plenty of time to rehab, and just never find a way for him to make it back to the game.