DJ LeMahieu

36-Year-Old Third Baseman3B

New York Yankees

Out

Injury Hip

Est. Return 2/1/2025

2024 Stats

AVG

.204

RBI

Rest-of-Season Projections

AVG

RBI

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2024 Fantasy Outlook

LeMahieu batted .327 and then .364 during his first two seasons as a Yankee, but he's dropped off considerably in the three campaigns since. Last season, the veteran posted the lowest batting average (.243) and highest strikeout rate (22.2 percent) of his career. It could be that the foot injury that derailed the second half of his 2022 campaign continued to bother LeMahieu into 2023, but there's also the distinct possibility that the 35-year-old is simply losing ground to Father Time. Despite the recent falloff, there are a few reasons to believe LeMahieu could rebound to an extent next season: he still has near-elite bat-to-ball skills, and he experienced a mini-resurgence between the All-Star break and the end of August last year, posting an .879 OPS over 37 games before falling off again during the final month of the season. It's unlikely that he'll return to the form that netted him two batting titles, and he's a below-average contributor in power and speed, so fantasy managers shouldn't look to LeMahieu before the very late rounds of drafts. Still, opportunity should be there, either as New York's starting third baseman or as a utility man in a near-everyday role. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

Rest of Season

From Preseason

#336

ADP

League Majors

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 6'4"

Weight 196

DOB 7/13/1988

Drafted 2nd Rd 2009

Aiming to be available for ALDS

3BNew York Yankees

Hip

September 27, 2024

LeMahieu (hip) expects to ramp up baseball activities over the next few days as he aims to be available for the ALDS, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

ANALYSIS
LeMahieu isn't a given to be included on the Yankees' ALDS roster next week even if he's deemed healthy, but he at least wants to put himself in position to be an option. The veteran infielder has been sidelined since early September with a right hip impingement.

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Batting Stats

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2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

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2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown

vs Right-Handed Pitchers

vs RHP

vs Left-Handed Pitchers

vs LHP

Left/Right Batting Splits

Since 2022

+1%

OPS vs LHP

2024

+31%

OPS vs RHP

2023

+8%

OPS vs LHP

2022

+12%

OPS vs LHP

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022vs Left	.697	341	44	9	31	0	.245	.338	.359
Since 2022vs Right	.690	990	104	20	85	6	.243	.327	.363
2024vs Left	.441	85	6	1	9	0	.164	.235	.205
2024vs Right	.578	143	13	1	17	0	.227	.289	.289
2023vs Left	.761	112	14	4	11	0	.255	.357	.404
2023vs Right	.707	450	41	11	33	2	.241	.320	.387
2022vs Left	.799	144	24	4	11	0	.285	.385	.415
2022vs Right	.711	397	50	8	35	4	.253	.348	.363
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Home/Away Batting Splits

Since 2022

+14%

OPS at Home

2024

+4%

OPS at Home

2023

+7%

OPS at Home

2022

+26%

OPS at Home

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2022Home	.740	639	78	16	57	2	.256	.352	.388
Since 2022Away	.647	692	70	13	59	4	.233	.309	.339
2024Home	.540	106	10	1	9	0	.213	.274	.266
2024Away	.517	122	9	1	17	0	.196	.264	.252
2023Home	.743	281	25	8	24	1	.246	.345	.398
2023Away	.693	281	30	7	20	1	.241	.310	.383
2022Home	.825	252	43	7	24	1	.286	.393	.432
2022Away	.657	289	31	5	22	3	.240	.326	.331
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Stat Review

How does DJ LeMahieu compare to other hitters?

This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

BB/K
Walk to strikeout ratio
BB Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
K Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
BABIP
Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
ISO
Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
AVG
Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
OBP
On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
SLG
Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
OPS
On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
wOBA
Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
Exit Velocity
The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
Hard Hit Rate
A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
Barrels/PA
The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Expected BA
Expected Batting Average.
Expected SLG
Expected Slugging Percentage.
Sprint Speed
The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
Ground Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
Line Drive %
The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
Fly Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.

BB/K

0.54

BB Rate

8.3%

K Rate

15.4%

BABIP

.229

ISO

.055

AVG

.204

OBP

.269

SLG

.259

OPS

.527

wOBA

.241

Exit Velocity

88.5 mph

Hard Hit Rate

28.3%

Barrels/PA

4.4%

Expected BA

.248

Expected SLG

.372

Sprint Speed

22.9 ft/sec

Ground Ball %

56.4%

Line Drive %

15.1%

Fly Ball %

28.5%

Advanced Batting Stats

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Additional Stats

Games By Position

Defensive Stats

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Batted Ball Stats

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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers

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Yankees Depth Chart

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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring DJ LeMahieu See More

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76 days ago

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

LeMahieu delivered a strong first half with a .279/.383/.403 slash line and 48:45 BB:K in 83 games, but he scuffled down the stretch and hit .195 after the start of August. He was playing through a toe fracture but eventually landed on the injured list and missed most of the final month of the season. The injury likely played a role in his struggles, and he ended up with the worst BABIP (.285) of his big-league career. Overall, he played in 125 games and had a career-best 12.5 percent walk rate, while his strikeout rate (13.1 percent) remained steady with recent seasons. LeMahieu took a major step back in 2021 and was rebounding well in 2022 prior to the injury, which is encouraging news for his outlook going forward. However, he'll turn 35 years old in July and may have a more difficult time reaching the highs of his first two years in New York, both of which netted him a Silver Slugger.

There is no way to sugarcoat it: LeMahieu was one of the bigger busts of 2021. Now that we've set that aside, we'll focus on why you should buy back in this season. After two terrific seasons in New York, his production fell smack dab back to league average after being well above that the two prior seasons. The lack of ability to drive the ball was quite concerning, and his sports hernia surgery after the season helps frame those struggles. The other noticeable struggle was how his average with runners in scoring position fell to .270 after rates of .392 and .364 the previous two campaigns. LeMahieu is still one of the toughest hitters to strike out and his expected stats still paint a rather favorable picture of his abilities. Consider 2019-2020 his peak level performance. Stare long and hard at his 2017-20 window because the 2021 struggle fees provide a buying opportunity.

LeMahieu eclipsed his superb first season in New York with a better one, posting a career-best .364/.421/.590 slash line, claiming the AL batting crown and finishing third on the MVP ballot. His 177 wRC+ ranked fourth in the league, and bested both players (Jose Ramirez and Jose Abreu) who finished ahead of him in the voting. He ranked third among qualified batters with an 89.9 Contact% while posting the second-best strikeout rate (9.7%). LeMahieu's barrel rate (2.9%) and average launch angle (2.3 degrees) hardly resemble that of a power hitter, but he took advantage of the Yankee Stadium right-field short-porch -- his 361-foot average HR distance was third-lowest in MLB -- to post a career-best 19.5 AB/HR. Replicating that rate is far from guaranteed, even after signing a long-term deal to stay in New York, but his bat-to-ball skills are elite and make LeMahieu one of baseball's most reliable hitters.

When LeMahieu signed with the Yankees last January, many expected his offensive output to decline without the benefit of 81 games at Coors Field. Instead, the 31-year-old put together an MVP-caliber season, ranking second in the American League with a .327 average and setting career highs in home runs (26), RBI (102), runs scored (109) and slugging percentage (.518). LeMahieu's flyball rate (26.2%) and average launch angle (6.7 degrees) don't fit the profile of a typical home-run hitter, but the veteran played the part by consistently mashing the ball, ranking 23rd in average exit velocity (91.7 mph) and posting a solid 40.4% hard-hit rate. LeMahieu's surprising 2019 home-run total should be viewed as a ceiling rather than an expectation, but his elite contact rate (85.5%) and presence atop New York's lineup bode well for another season of superb hitting and plenty of run-scoring opportunities.

LeMahieu flipped the script in 2018, bashing a career-high 15 homers despite two DL stints. It was a conscious decision to sell out for power, with LeMahieu doubling his launch angle en route to a 29.5% flyball rate, seven points above his career rate. It came with him sacrificing his all-fields contact, however, something even the Coors Effect couldn't mask. While LeMahieu's .271 average was solid, it was disappointing for a player drafted to be a pillar in the category after three consecutive .300-plus seasons. He landed in another favorable home park in Yankee Stadium, but LeMahieu is a .264/.311/.364 career road hitter -- he faces a stiff challenge to re-emerge as the batting-average stabilizer he once was, particularly if he maintains the new swing. Even with a more balanced plate approach, his counting totals will likely drop now that he's a super-utility player no longer buoyed by 82 games at altitude.

LeMahieu hit over .300 for a third consecutive season, but his power fell back from an already below-average level. That was a result of his flyball rate falling to below 20 percent, with LeMahieu posting the seventh-lowest Average Launch Angle in baseball (min. 200 at-bats). He mustered just 18 extra-base hits in 300 at-bats at Coors Field (three homers), and his success rate on the basepaths fell again (6-for-11). The 29-year-old's plate skills are strong -- he had a 13.2 percent strikeout rate and 8.7 percent walk rate last season -- and some tweaks to his swing could change his power outlook considerably, but right now, LeMahieu is mostly a two-category player (average and runs). Something to keep in mind: he's entering his final season before free agency and may be motivated to make some changes.

LeMahieu flew under the radar a bit in 2015 despite putting together a solid year, but he made the league take notice with his 2016 showing. After putting up a solid .746 OPS in 2015, he broke out to the tune of a .348/.416/.495 line, winning the National League batting title. He also put up career highs in doubles (32), RBI (66) and runs (104). The All-Star even muscled up for 11 home runs, equaling the number he hit over the previous two years combined. Thanks to all of this and an outstanding 0.83 BB/K, LeMahieu has become a steady mid-tier option at the keystone, but the longevity of his current levels of production will hinge on his future with the Rockies. He's under club control with Colorado through the 2018 campaign. LeMahieu hit .303/.353/.395 with four of his 11 homers on the road in 2016, while his output soared to a .391/.473/.591 line at Coors Field.

LeMahieu needed 150 games to mash six home runs despite playing 75 games at Coors Field, where Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson hit four home runs as a visitor in 2015 alone. Still, LeMahieu managed to sustain his solid contact skills and his ability to spray the ball across Colorado's huge outfield to record a .301/.358/.388 line with 85 runs scored, all career highs. His 23 stolen bases also marked a career high, and he had an 88 percent success rate despite being caught 10 times in 20 stolen-base attempts in 2014. Second base projects to be a weak offensive position once again, and while LeMahieu wouldn't be worth a look outside of Colorado, he's making the most out of his at-bats. If he can maintain a high average and keep running regularly, he will be worthwhile again in 2016 despite his power deficiency.

Thanks largely to his standout defense, LeMahieu retained a regular role throughout 2014 for the Rockies, playing a career-high 149 games and leading all NL second basemen in both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating en route to his first Gold Glove. Unfortunately, this was of little relevance in the fantasy realm, where LeMahieu’s minimal power (25 extra-base hits in 538 plate appearances) and presence in the bottom third of the order deflated his counting stats. LeMahieu even noticed a decent-sized drop in the offensive categories he’d typically been an asset, as an increased strikeout rate led to a 13-point drop in his batting average from 2013, while decreased efficiency on the basepaths (10-for-20 on steal attempts) made him more reluctant to run as the season progressed. The 26-year-old’s tremendous glove should grant him the upper hand in remaining atop the Rockies' depth chart at second base, but even with the added benefit of calling Coors Field his home park, LeMahieu will struggle to emerge as much more than a lower-tier fantasy option at his position.

After Josh Rutledge flopped as the second baseman to start the season, LeMahieu stepped in to provide an immediate upgrade with a steady batting average and excellent glovework. Those attributes were to be expected based on what LeMahieu had delivered a season prior, but new manager Walt Weiss’s more aggressive approach on the basepaths allowed the second baseman to showcase another dimension of his game with 18 stolen bases. The inability to draw walks and a lack of power will continue to inhibit LeMahieu’s fantasy appeal, but in deeper leagues, his above-average contributions in two categories are enough to warrant attention at the middle-infield spot. In recognition of his strong 2013 showing, LeMahieu should be the frontrunner for the Opening Day second base job, but even if he loses out to Rutledge once again, he should see ample usage in a utility role.

LeMahieu redeemed himself following an uninspiring first callup to the Rockies in May, batting .316 after the All-Star break while becoming a defensive standout at second base, making just two errors in 311 chances. Those numbers were nice, but because LeMahieu lacks even low-end power or speed, he was a virtual non-entity in fantasy despite playing regularly in the second half. LeMahieu's mediocre on-base skills will make it difficult to sustain last season's lofty batting average, which would strip him of nearly all his value. If that does not happen, the move of Josh Rutledge to second base almost surely will, as LeMahieu projects this season as little more than a utility infielder, likely replacing Jordan Pacheco on defense in the later innings.

With little power to speak of and poor on-base skills, it's hard to see a lot of upside for LeMahieu even in Coors Field after he was traded to Colorado in the Tyler Colvin deal. LeMahieu does make good contact, so he's a fair bet to hit for average, but he doesn't run much, and the lack of walks limits his capacity to score runs. He could be in the running the second-base job this spring, but you're better off gambling on Chris Nelson or Eric Young, Jr.

More Fantasy News

Resumes baseball activities

3BNew York Yankees

Hip

September 22, 2024

LeMahieu (hip) has been doing some baseball activities, including hitting off a tee, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

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Heads to IL with hip impingement

3BNew York Yankees

Hip

September 9, 2024

The Yankees placed LeMahieu on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right hip impingement.

ANALYSIS
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Drawing start in series finale

3BNew York Yankees

August 25, 2024

LeMahieu (face) will start at first base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Rockies.

ANALYSIS
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Clears concussion protocol

3BNew York Yankees

Face

August 24, 2024

Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that LeMahieu's condition has improved and he's cleared concussion protocol, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

ANALYSIS
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Precautionarily scratched

3BNew York Yankees

Face

August 23, 2024

LeMahieu was hit in the face by a ball during warmups and was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Rockies, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Roster spot likely secure

3BNew York Yankees

August 21, 2024

The Yankees haven't hit their "financial comfort zone" for moving on from LeMahieu, reports Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

ANALYSIS
The veteran infielder has a $15 million salary for 2025 and 2026, and New York apparently isn't willing to eat that cost yet. LeMahieu is in the midst of the worst season of his career with a .512 OPS through 62 games, which has led to him recently filling the small side of a platoon at first base. The lefty-hitting Ben Rice is working on the strong side, but he's batting .188 overall and has gone 1-for-19 in August. The rookie Rice has a clear advantage in terms of upside, so the 36-year-old LeMahieu is unlikely to carve out a larger role without a major turnaround.

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