Thank You, DJ LeMahieu: The Yankees Move On, But the Memories Remain

The inevitable finally came knocking in the Bronx. On a humid July afternoon, the Yankees made it official: DJ LeMahieu has been designated for assignment, signaling the end of a once-celebrated tenure in pinstripes. It’s not shocking given the way the last year has gone, but man—it still stings. Because for a few golden seasons, DJ was the guy. A pure hitter. A steady glove. A calming presence in a chaotic lineup.

DJ LeMahieu has been designated for assignment. PC: Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Let’s not rewrite history here. When LeMahieu signed his 6-year, $90 million extension ahead of the 2021 season, it was a no-brainer. A rare Yankees win in the front office. He was fresh off back-to-back MVP-caliber seasons, slashing .336/.386/.536 in 2019, winning the Silver Slugger and coming in fourth in MVP voting. That 2019 campaign? Iconic. A leadoff machine who looked allergic to swinging and missing. His walk-off homer against the A’s. His game-tying blast in the ALCS against Houston. The dude earned that contract.

And yes, things unraveled. Slowly. Then all at once. Injuries robbed LeMahieu of the consistency that once made him a metronome in the lineup. His bat lost its pop. His versatility, once his greatest asset, became a game of musical chairs that exposed a loss in agility and range. But still, the belief lingered—because if healthy, DJ could still be that contact-hitting, opposite-field savant.

Unfortunately, that “if” never left the sentence. And by this season, the writing was on the wall. A .220 average. Negative WAR. A bench role he never seemed comfortable in. The Yankees tried to tread lightly—rehab stints, limited at-bats, spot starts—but the production never returned. As Aaron Boone himself admitted, it just became “time to make a difficult decision.”

This move, while tough, signals something that’s been long overdue in the Bronx: a departure from the strategy of holding on too long. We saw it with Josh Donaldson. We saw it with Aaron Hicks. High-paid vets clinging to roster spots while younger, more dynamic players sat waiting. At least this time, the Yankees cut bait before August.

Now, the million-dollar question: does this spark something bigger? Because it has to.

DJ getting DFA’d isn’t just about one player’s decline—it’s about Brian Cashman recognizing that the margins are thinning. This isn’t 2017 anymore. Aaron Judge is in his prime, but how many more years of peak performance do you think we’re getting? Gerrit Cole’s timeline is finite. The American League, for all its parity, is begging to be taken.

Let’s trade, plug, and win—without questions or excuses.