The New York Yankees desperately need an infielder to replace veteran DJ LeMahieu. With Gleyber Torres leaving town over the offseason and Oswaldo Cabrera sitting on the injured list, the Bronx Bombers have been forced to play LeMahieu a lot.
The fact that LeMahieu is on the roster is shocking enough, but this amount of consistent playing time isn’t inexcusable for the Yankees.
FanSided’s Zachary Rotman recently issued some harsh criticism for the Yankees, their front office, and the coaching staff for how they’ve handled the aging LeMahieu.
“Giving DJ LeMahieu a six-year, $90 million deal ahead of the 2021 campaign made sense given the player he was in 2019 and 2020 for New York even if the term was a bit steep, but blindly sticking by the veteran as he’s struggled for as long as he has does not make sense,” Rotman wrote. “Blaming Cashman at this point for giving LeMahieu the deal he did feels like beating a dead horse, but nobody is forcing him to play him every day or even keep him on the roster.
“The Yankees’ attachment to LeMahieu cost them a chance of adding a viable starting infielder, which has held this team back. Hopefully, the Yankees are willing to bench or DFA him by the deadline.”
The veteran infielder is well beyond his prime years. It seems as though manager Aaron Boone likes his versatility and leadership, but those are two traits that could be used by a bench player, not an everyday starter.
It’s past time for the Yankees to cut ties with LeMahieu. If they continue to trot him out there, the team is never going to get over the hump. He’s a massive void in the lineup and on defense for Boone’s team.
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