DJ LeMahieu is back, and I can't help but be excited
When DJ LeMahieu took the field in Seattle last Tuesday, it felt like déjà vu all over again. Now in his seventh season in pinstripes, Yankees fans have seen more comeback attempts by the veteran than can be counted on one hand. After finishing top five in MVP voting in each of his first two years with New York, LeMahieu regressed to a league-average player as he reached his mid-30s. The bottom fell out last year, with the infielder posting a .527 OPS and -1.6 bWAR, no easy feat for a player whose defense still graded out strongly. He missed the start of the year with a broken foot and got shut down in the season's final month with a hip injury.
This offseason, when LeMahieu appeared likely to receive yet another chance to hold down an everyday spot in the Yankees' lineup, I snidely called GM Brian Cashman's espoused hope that the old DJ could return 'sadly akin to Charlie Brown gearing up for his umpteenth attempt to kick a football.'
Advertisement
That pessimism was borne out when the 36-year-old tweaked his calf after a single spring training game, missing the rest of camp and the start of the season. But, after hitting .444 in nine rehab games (a stretch that was interrupted yet again by issues with his hip) and injuries to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Oswaldo Cabrera, LeMahieu returned to action this week, poised once again to get everyday reps.
Based on everything I've written and said about DJ LeMahieu over the past couple of years, that reality should fill me with dread. But, for better and for worse, I contain the heart of a baseball fan. And, over the course of 162 games plus playoffs each year, baseball fans spend more time with the players on our favorite teams than fans of any other sports.
Even — or, perhaps, especially — as it relates to a player with DJ's inscrutable demeanor, we fall in love with our guys. Not only DJ's performance but his workaday mentality and the (very) occasional glimpses he gave of his dry sense of humor endeared him to me as much as any player on Yankees squads of recent vintage. When I think of DJ, before I picture the futility of 2024, my mind goes first to LeMachine, the player who hit a dramatic, game-tying homer in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS against the hated Astros, the player whose astounding 2020 was a salve to watch each evening in otherwise trying times.
And so, despite my better judgement and even my own past editorializing, seeing DJ LeMahieu take the field at T-Mobile Park this week brought a smile to my face and a thought to my mind that was as stirring as it was absurd. What if DJ is back? Not just back on the roster. Back to being DJ.
Advertisement
For a myriad of reasons, it's beyond unlikely we'll see anything resembling the 2019-20 DJ LeMahieu. He'll turn 37 in July and hasn't hit at a league-average level by OPS+ since 2022. As a matter of fact, he hit at a league-average level only once in his eight seasons before joining the Yankees. The most likely scenario, by far, is that DJ's magical season-and-a-half in pinstripes were the aberration and that, as he enters his late-30s, the infielder no longer has the makings of a key contributor.
But I have no intention to talk myself out of my excitement. Baseball is as good an outlet as any for irrational enthusiasm, for putting faith in the unlikely and hoping against hope. Upon DJ's return, his manager, Aaron Boone, said 'As long as he's healthy, I won't be surprised with anything he brings to the table.'
It's the kind of comment I would have rolled my eyes at this spring. But now that DJ's back? Hear, hear, skip.
More from pinstripealley.com:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hornets Can't Rely on LaMelo Ball's Inconsistency Next Season
Hornets Can't Rely on LaMelo Ball's Inconsistency Next Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Hornets were bad at a lot of things last season. Defense, shooting, availability, vibes, but nothing crashed harder than the offense. Charlotte finished 29th in offensive efficiency, and the assist-to-turnover ratio wasn't far behind, settling at 28th. They couldn't score. They couldn't pass. And they couldn't do either without giving the ball away. Advertisement Sure, LaMelo Ball missing half the season didn't help. But even when he was available, the impact was more erratic than anything. Ball posted career worsts in both field-goal percentage (40.5) and three-point shooting (33.9), and his 4.0 turnovers per 36 minutes marked the second-worst rate of his career. The highlight passes and logo threes are still there, but so is the chaos. At his best, Ball remains the Hornets' only true offensive engine. At his worst, he's a volume shooter without a governor. Charlotte doesn't just need LaMelo back. They need a sharper, steadier, and more available version of him. To be fair, the 2024–25 season marked Year 1 of the Charles Lee experiment. It was also the first-year offensive installs rarely ran like clockwork, especially when injuries hijacked the depth chart. Still, even with some expected growing pains, this was rough. Related: Two NBA Draft Night Trade Partners Emerge for Hornets in Latest Rumors The roster around Ball didn't offer much help. No other Hornet averaged even four assists per game. Of the five players who took double-digit shots a night, only Mark Williams shot better than 44 percent from the field. And he's a big. When your only efficient scorer is a vertical spacer who needs someone to set him up, and no one else can pass, it's a problem. Advertisement All of this raises a bigger question. Is the offense too Ball-centric for its own good? Could this team benefit from a little more movement, a little more cutting, and a little less standing around while LaMelo plays high-stakes improv? Related: Max Contract Player Linked to Hornets in NBA Trade Rumors These are the kinds of structural questions Charlotte's front office has to confront this offseason. What kind of team are they building around Ball? What kind of players best compliment him? And what happens if this version of him with the flashes of brilliance wrapped in unpredictability is just who he is? For now, the scoreboard told the story. The Hornets' games averaged 223.8 combined points, and only 39 of 82 contests cleared the 226.5 mark. Translation is even the betting markets gave up on seeing fireworks in Charlotte. Let's see if the front office can spark something new before the upcoming season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hornets Projected to Trade Up in Latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft
Hornets Projected to Trade Up in Latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Charlotte Hornets will be looking for every advantage in the 2025 NBA Draft. After finishing with the third-worst record in the league, they snagged the fourth-overall pick but are projected to move up into the top three. According to the latest mock draft from The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, the Hornets will trade No. 4 and No. 32 picks to Philadelphia 76ers for No. 3 and Andre Drummond. For context, here's his entire summary. Advertisement "No deal is close, and I'm sure the Sixers will continue to field offers until they get exactly what they want," Vecenie wrote. "But the most logical move is to trade down. At No. 3, the Sixers are atop a talent tier led by Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel and Ace Bailey. Some evaluators around the league would also throw Khaman Maluach and Jeremiah Fears into this group, and others would place prospects like Edgecombe and Bailey ahead and into their own mini-tier. For the Sixers, none of these prospects makes perfect sense. "With a couple of early second-round picks and salary flexibility to help the Sixers, the Hornets have the assets to jump one spot. Edgecombe makes the most sense with Charlotte's team built in between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in the backcourt. He's tough and competitive, cares about winning and has been highly impressive in the pre-draft process. "The Hornets need a better defensive infrastructure surrounding their franchise centerpieces, and Edgecombe is a terrific defensive player with elite athleticism. He'd be a running mate in transition for Ball early in his career while taking on the toughest perimeter defensive assignments. He also has a lot of potential offensively because of his special athleticism, mixed with his ability to hit catch-and-shoot jumpers. But he needs to continue working on his ball skills, particularly with his left hand and the tightness of his handle. Still, he averaged 15 points, nearly six rebounds and three assists as a freshman and has a long track record of knocking down shots off the catch. Related: Hornets Can't Rely on LaMelo Ball's Inconsistency Next Season "If the Hornets think he's the guy, paying one of your two second-round selections while taking on Drummond's $5 million this year is worth trading up. The Sixers get financial flexibility by taking the Drummond deal off their books and would have an additional asset at the top of the second round. Maybe they could move into the latter portion of the first round? Sell it for future picks? They'd have options." Advertisement Related: Former Charlotte Hornets star Alonzo Mourning says routine check-ups saved his life—twice Vecenie believes the 76ers will take Rutgers' Ace Bailey, who is projected to the Hornets in several other mocks. Charlotte will keep the No. 34 overall pick and take Ben Saraf from Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany). The 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard with size and intelligence to be a high-level backup or rotation starter in the NBA. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Hornet's Relationship Seemingly Spells Bad News for Sacramento Kings
Former Hornet's Relationship Seemingly Spells Bad News for Sacramento Kings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former Charlotte Hornets star Jeremy Lamb has found himself the center of controversy when it comes to the Sacramento Kings. And it's not because of his stellar play on the floor. Advertisement Following Lamb's initial trade to the Kings in 2022 as part of the Domantas Sabonis trade, he had little on-court impact, averaging 7.9 points in 18.9 minutes over 17 games. He was re-signed in October of 2023 but was waived a week later. It was his seemingly huge influence off the court that had everyone talking. Lamb's unexpected input stems from his romantic relationship with Anjali Ranadive, the daughter of Kings owner Vivek Ranadive. Their relationship has reportedly become a major source for the controversy that has plagued the Kings franchise of late. Anjali, who transitioned into basketball operations following her pop music career where she would perform at Kings games, became assistant general manager of the Stockton Kings (the G-League affiliate) in 2022. In May of 2023, she was promoted to general manager. Following Lamb's release by Sacramento in October, he moved on to Stockton, where he was named to the opening night roster. People around the team began to question Lamb's role as more than that of your typical player. Advertisement Anjali would become the center of attention when a Stockton player, Chance Comanche, was arrested and charged with murder during a team road trip of December 2023. The incident cast a shadow on her leadership, and Anjali stepped down less than a month later, citing academic and personal reasons. The couple went public with their relationship in October of 2024. Despite her resignation, Anjali and Lamb remained highly visible. Regularly appearing with Vivek Ranadive, courtside at Kings' games. This only fueled speculation of Lamb's influence on the organization's decision-making. Sacramento Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive smiles and claps with his daughter Anjali after a basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center.© Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images According to The Athletic's Anthony Slater, Lamb and Anjali played some role in two of the most impactful moves in recent Sacramento Kings history. First, the mid-season firing of head coach Mike Brown. This came only months after Brown had signed a long-term deal, following breaking the team's 16-year playoff drought. Many believe the move to get rid of Brown in December of 2024 was a result of those closest to Vivek Ranadive, most notably Lamb and Anjali. The second was the trade of star player De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs at the 2025 NBA trade deadline. Advertisement Brown's firing was seemingly the last straw for Fox. The star player had already turned down multiple max contract offers and let it be known to interim head coach Doug Christie that he was ready to get away from the nonsense going on with the Kings franchise. Shortly after that point, he was traded. An anonymous Kings employee voiced growing frustrations, joking to The Athletic, 'What is the vision here? It feels like it could be headed toward chaos. We're all going to be working for Jeremy Lamb soon enough.' Such sentiment highlights the unease within the organization, where clear leadership and direction appear to be lacking. While Lamb retired from professional basketball in 2024, his off-court influence, particularly through his proximity to ownership, has become a focal point of criticism. His post-playing career has arguably had a larger impact than his on-court career, albeit controversially, through his involvement in Sacramento's internal affairs. Now, the Kings, once seen as a team turning a corner after ending a 16-year playoff drought, are again mired in uncertainty. Even Sabonis is reportedly seeking assurance about the organization's direction before fully committing to a long-term future with the team. Whether owner Vivek Ranadive can restore faith in the franchise remains to be seen, but Lamb's relationship and perceived influence have already left a lasting mark on the Kings' internal dynamics. Advertisement While Lamb's visibility in decision-making has seemingly decreased, Anjali's influence, though less direct, is still believed to exist, according to The Athletic. Related: Hornets Projected to Trade Up in Latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
