The New York Yankees find themselves in a tough spot. Having lost their star slugger to a toe injury, the responsibilities to take care of the offense fell on the highly-paid veteran. Ironically, not one but all of the renowned veteran has failed to generate offensive production. The collective failure resulted in heavy losses for the team, which is directly hampering the club’s overall season campaign.
One particular area of concern has been the third base. Two of the most notable baseball names, DJ LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson have been splitting time, but none of them have been able to perform. While Josh just recently came back from a hamstring injury, LeMahieu is healthy yet struggling. This has led the Yankees’ front office to opt for some tough measures to curb the crisis from worsening.
Josh Donaldson, DJ LeMahieu Continue To Disappoint At Third Base
The New York Yankees most trusted veterans, Josh Donaldson and DJ LeMahieu, are equally disappointing this season with their terrible offense. Coming to Wednesday, Donaldson went hitless for the third consecutive time and heard loud boos from the home crowd. So far this season, the third baseman has hit .133 with six home runs and eight RBIs. Speaking on the veteran’s situation, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Donaldson is constantly trying to prove that he still has what it takes to play professional baseball at the highest level. However, Boone acknowledged that the baseman had had a long career and faced his fair share of ups and down. Hence, there is no reason to believe that he can’t turn things around this year.
On the other hand, DJ LeMahieu skipped his fourth game in the last five days. Owing to his dipping form, the team management made the tough decision to bench him. LeMahieu, known for his impressive hitting abilities, is batting at .232 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs this year. While he claims to be fully healthy, last season’s toe injury has supposedly rattled his form. He has not been the same ever since the injury. The infielder himself admitted that he had developed bad habits after injury, which is working against him. Regardless, DJ is determined to find solutions and promises to get back on track really soon. With Aaron Judge on IL, these veterans must step up, or else the Yankees can bid goodbye to their world series dream for this season.
Yankees Bench DJ LeMahieu For The Fourth Time In Five Days
Despite being 100% healthy, the New York Yankees have benched their star baseman, DJ LeMahieu, four times in the past five days. The reason is his sinking form. Aaron Boone, the manager, claimed that the rest was meant to give DJ a reset from his routine so that he could figure things out. Boone admitted that the current situation feels a little weird, and he is not able to understand DJ’s situation.
It is happening because no matter how worse things out, DJ LeMahieu has always found a way to hit. Hence, the current situation is a little frustrating and challenging for DJ at the same time. Regardless, the team is making efforts to simplify the process for the infielder. Hopefully, the off days will help him reset, and we get to see the old DJ back to life.