Yankees' DJ LeMahieu says he's on firm footing again

TAMPA, Fla. — No one was more disappointed in his 2022 season than DJ LeMahieu.

The two-time batting champion and one of the better all-around players in the sport was hampered by a toe injury for much of the season — and pretty much the entire second half — and hit .261 with 12 homers and a .734 OPS.

LeMahieu was batting .281 with a .789 OPS as late as Aug. 22, but he went 6-for-54 and played in only 15 games after that.

Despite several cortisone shots and a stint on the injured list that cost him most of September, LeMahieu’s injury kept him off the Yankees' postseason roster.

LeMahieu, speaking Sunday as Yankees position players reported for spring training, said all of that is behind him. That's music to the ears of the Yankees. If they could handpick one of their players to have a bounce-back season, it would be LeMahieu.

“I'm excited. I'm very confident going into the season,” said LeMahieu, who said he  does not feel any lingering discomfort in his right foot.  

The 34-year-old utilityman, who again is expected see time at third, second and first, moved to the Tampa area in the offseason and was a consistent presence at the club’s minor-league complex for workouts starting in December.

LeMahieu, who did manage to win his fourth Gold Glove (as a utilityman) last season, said surgery was a thought immediately after the Yankees fell to the Astros in four games in the ALCS. It ultimately was determined that a procedure was not necessary.

“It was definitely under consideration, but we weren't sure if we wanted to do surgery on the big toe, the second toe or both. It was just never clear like this was going to be it, and this is the rehab [length], and this is how it's going to feel, so I think I made the right decision,”  LeMahieu said.

He later clarified that the final decision was his but was heavily influenced by medical professionals. “It was a lot of our trainers, doctors, lots of doctors,'' he said. "There was a lot of conversation there for about a month after the season, but I’m in a really good spot.”

Though LeMahieu, who spent Sept. 5-30 on the injured list with what the Yankees called right second toe inflammation, never used the injury as an excuse, he acknowledged that it had an impact on his performance in the field and at the plate.

“When you’re banged up, don’t feel like yourself, it's frustrating,” he said. “I'm excited where I'm at.”

Sitting out both rounds of the postseason was by far the hardest part. “That's the worst feeling,” he said. “[It] just kind of gives you motivation to do everything I can to stay on the field and be myself.”

A classic cage rat, LeMahieu said one thing the injury taught him was that sometimes less is more when it comes to his preparation.

“I can't just go out and take a thousand swings every day or a thousand ground balls and call it a day,” he said. “I really have to make sure that I’m physically ready to go every single day for the whole season. Nothing changes, that's always the mindset, but probably spending more time making sure I can be on the field and be myself rather than making sure my swing is right.”

Aaron Boone said that while he doesn’t see LeMahieu being limited physically, the infielder’s workload will “evolve” throughout spring training and into the regular season.

“[There’s] not a specific plan,” Boone said. “There will certainly be days where we’ll want to stay ahead of things as best we can, but that’ll evolve over spring training. Hopefully we don’t get in a situation where everything’s going well and we create a situation. So there might be a few more days [off] for him depending, but that’ll be something that evolves throughout the season.”

LeMahieu won his first three Gold Gloves as primarily a second baseman during his time with the Rockies (2012-18), and that remains his best defensive position. But he’s more than held his own at third and at first during his time with the Yankees and he is more than happy to, in his words, continue “bouncing around.”

“Kind of the same role I've had the last few years here,” he said. “I really like playing different positions and moving around, and I think it fits my skill set well and also our team as well.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.