Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

$90M DJ LeMahieu Off to Strong Rehab Start, Next Stop, 3B at the Bronx?

DJ’s encore begins in Somerset

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

DJ LeMahieu wasted no time reminding the Yankees what they’ve been missing from him (since 2022). The veteran infielder began his rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday and immediately made waves, delivering a perfect 3-for-3 performance that included a home run and a double while playing five innings at second base.

DJ LeMahieu hits a HR in the second at-bat of his rehab assignment for the @SOMPatriots! pic.twitter.com/tj1KB21wn9
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) April 22, 2025

This promising start suggests LeMahieu could rejoin the big-league club within a week if his progression continues smoothly. For this Yankees team that is still far from complete, and not looking the best against .500 teams, the return of a seasoned vet creates both opportunities and difficult decisions.

Next Stop For DJ LeMahieu, Third Base?

With Jazz Chisholm firmly established at second base following Gleyber Torres’ departure, LeMahieu’s clearest path to playing time appears to be at third base. The position has been manned by Oswaldo Cabrera to start the season, who began hot but has cooled considerably at the plate in recent weeks.

A potential Cabrera-LeMahieu platoon makes strategic sense, especially considering DJ’s historical success against left-handed pitching. However, implementing this arrangement would likely squeeze Oswald Peraza out of the picture entirely. Despite Peraza’s defensive prowess, his offensive limitations and lack of positional flexibility make him vulnerable when roster spots become scarce.

DJ LeMahieu is 3-for-3!😱

Running well on an infield single, LeMahieu keeps his batting average at 1.000. pic.twitter.com/7U3PFLaFCX
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) April 22, 2025

The financial reality can’t be ignored either. The Yankees remain on the hook for $15 million of LeMahieu’s salary both this season and in 2026, creating significant incentive to find productive at-bats for the 36-year-old, provided he can play respectable defense at third and contribute something offensively.

Yet legitimate concerns linger about LeMahieu’s ability to rebound. Last season was nothing short of disastrous, as he slashed a paltry .204/.269/.259 across 67 games with just two homers and 26 RBIs. Most alarming was his 56.4% ground ball rate, effectively transforming the once-dangerous hitter into someone routinely producing easy outs.

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For a veteran whose power production had already been diminishing, this heavy ground ball tendency represented the worst possible development. Rather than driving balls into gaps or occasionally over the fence, LeMahieu spent much of 2024 bouncing into routine grounders and returning to the dugout frustrated. While Tuesday’s rehab performance offers a glimmer of hope, the Yankees must determine whether it represents a genuine resurgence or merely a flash of what once was. Either way, difficult roster decisions await the front office in the coming days.

DJ LeMahieu

Yankees

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.