NEW YORK -- The conversations about DJ LeMahieu's future with the Yankees kicked into high gear this past weekend at Citi Field, where manager Aaron Boone left the Subway Series with a decision: Jazz Chisholm Jr. would return to his natural position at second base.
When Boone announced the move on Tuesday, he acknowledged LeMahieu had been reduced to a bench role, with few specifics. Discussions were continuing behind the scenes between LeMahieu, Boone and general manager Brian Cashman; the lack of a clear path forward led to Wednesday’s decision to designate the two-time batting champion for assignment. He was released from the roster the following day.
“I made the decision that I thought was best for us as we move forward,” Cashman said. “He’s a great player, he’s a great person. He’s done great things here. Obviously, the last few years have not been what he or we hoped for here, but that’s also part of the game.”
In a corresponding move, the Yankees recalled infielder Jorbit Vivas from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Boone said he envisions a rotation of Oswald Peraza, Vivas and possibly J.C. Escarra at third base for the foreseeable future. Cashman said a third baseman, as well as pitching help, will be on his shopping list ahead of the July 31 Trade Deadline.
“I’m definitely going to be looking for upgrades if I can. That doesn’t guarantee anything,” Cashman said. “We’ve lost three starters out of our World Series rotation so far this year, so I’ve got to look and see if I can find a starter.
“I’d certainly love to import a starter, some relievers because our bullpen has been taxed with injuries and an infielder, if possible. That’s a long list. I don’t know if this will be a deep Deadline or not. I don’t know how active we will be. But I can tell you that we will try to import improvements. That’s the gig.”
The Yankees have seven days to trade LeMahieu or place him on outright or unconditional release waivers. LeMahieu, who turns 37 on Sunday, is owed approximately $22 million -- including $15 million for 2026. He signed a six-year, $90 million contract with the Yankees after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
In 45 games this year, LeMahieu compiled a .266/.338/.336 slash line (34-for-128) with three doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs. All of his defensive innings this season have been at second base, where he showed limited range, especially during the series against the Mets.
LeMahieu began the season on the injured list due to a left calf strain sustained in Spring Training. According to Cashman, LeMahieu believed the injury was at least partially caused by preparing as the projected Opening Day third baseman.
“He was always just sharing that the recovery was really difficult,” Cashman said. “The physical toll on him to tee up that [third base] position was a problem. Obviously, the last few years, we’ve had a lot of injuries that he’s been fighting through. He strongly felt the best way for him to go forward was to stay on the right side of the infield.”
Boone and Cashman both said LeMahieu communicated hesitancy about playing third base dating to the offseason, while LeMahieu never said so publicly.
But it is worth noting that the Yankees made a strong effort to sign infielder Willy Adames as a free agent this past offseason; Adames chose the Giants instead, as the Yankees remained in a holding pattern waiting for Juan Soto’s decision.
Even on Wednesday, Boone said LeMahieu was willing to resume workouts at third base if the Yankees asked him to. Instead, the organization decided to move on. Though Boone said on Tuesday that LeMahieu’s reaction had been “not great,” Boone said that wasn’t a factor as their talks continued.
“Honestly, I feel like the dialogue improved and we were able to get some cards on the table and hash it out a little more,” Boone said. “Frankly, it was done very respectfully.”
A 15-year big league veteran, LeMahieu was the first player in baseball's Modern Era (since 1900) to win a batting title in both leagues after he hit .348 with the Rockies in 2016 and .364 with the Yankees in '20. Luis Arraez later matched the feat with the Twins, Marlins and Padres.
Across his Yankees tenure (2019-25), LeMahieu tallied a .278/.351/.412 slash line with 115 doubles, eight triples, 77 home runs and 314 RBIs in 718 games.
“He’s been a great player and he’s done a lot of great things for this organization,” Boone said. “So it’s difficult, but at the end, we feel like this is the right thing to do at this time. We certainly wish all the best for what’s been a great player.”
Senior Reporter Bryan Hoch has covered the Yankees for MLB.com since 2007.