The Yankees pulled the plug on The Machine, designating DJ LeMahieu for assignment on Wednesday.
The two-time batting champ, still owed about $22 million through next season, was then released on Thursday. Later in the day, Yankees captain Aaron Judge addressed the departure.
“He’s going to be missed,” Judge, a teammate of LeMahieu’s since 2019, said during a scrum inside the Yankees’ clubhouse.
Afterward, Judge briefly spoke with the Daily News about reports that stated the Yankees planned to cut ties with LeMahieu last September when the team promoted Jasson Domínguez. The unsubstantiated claims said that Judge and other veterans protested and stopped the plan.
LeMahieu ended up going on the injured list with a right hip impingement when Domínguez was promoted last year.
When asked if there was any truth to the reports, Judge told The News, “I’m a player. I don’t make decisions. That’s more of a front office thing. So I got nothing on that. If they’re listening to what the players are doing, then maybe we should get paid a little bit more to do their jobs too.
“I’ve got nothing for you.”
While Judge downplayed his influence, he does have a close relationship with Hal Steinbrenner, as the owner has sought input from the two-time MVP over the years. Brian Cashman, meanwhile, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the general manager was asked if he considered cutting LeMahieu this past offseason. He said that there was “no pressure point” to do so at the time and that the Yankees were “hopeful” that the 36-year-old could be an option at third base despite years of declining offensive production.
However, the hot corner became too physically challenging for LeMahieu, a point he conveyed to the club over the winter. When asked how so, Cashman mentioned LeMahieu’s hip, which also received a cortisone shot before he returned from a calf strain this season.
LeMahieu suffered the calf strain while playing third in his first spring training game this year. He has also battled multiple foot/toe injuries in recent years, and he underwent surgery for a sports hernia in 2021.
During his scrum, Judge highlighted LeMahieu’s willingness to play any position during his prime, as well as his determination to play through pain.
“He did anything that the team asked him,” Judge said. “He showed up every single day ready to play. I know he battled through some injuries. I even go back to 2019. He had a groin injury going on early in the year, and he kind of told the team like, ‘I’m not going on the IL. I gotta be out there. Even if it’s 60 percent, I’m going to battle through it and play.’ So just seeing that type of commitment to the team just motivates me to go out there and try to play every day as much as I can.
“He hated missing games. He hated not being there for us.”
Judge praised LeMahieu’s lead-by-example style and the influence he had on younger players like Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells. A quiet player, LeMahieu earned respect in the Yankees’ clubhouse for his laser-sharp focus on his craft.
“Baseball is DJ’s life. That’s all he talked about. That’s all he wanted to talk about. That’s all he knew,” Judge said. “He’s a gamer.”
However, LeMahieu has a 99 wRC+ since 2021, and he posted a mark of 53 last season.
LeMahieu had a 95 wRC+ this season, but he was mostly hitting singles while unable to range at second base. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. struggling defensively at third, the Yankees moved him back to second and declared LeMahieu a bench option on Tuesday.
Now a Yankees staple since 2019 is a free agent with an uncertain future.
“I’m just wishing him the best,” Judge said of LeMahieu. “He’s meant a lot to this team and a lot to us in this clubhouse, the fanbase, so it’s tough.
“It’s going to be different, but we gotta keep moving forward.”
