DJ LeMahieu DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday that infielder DJ LeMahieu (calf) is "about a week away" from taking live at-bats as he recovers from a left-calf strain that he suffered in spring training. "It would be a pretty big build-up, I'd want him to have a spring training," Boone said when asked about a timeline for LeMahieu's return. It sounds as though the Yankees don't expect the 36-year-old veteran to be back with the big-league squad during the month of April, which is good news for Oswaldo Cabrera, who has been serving as the Yankees' primary third baseman to begin the year. LeMahieu, a three-time All-Star and two-time MLB batting champion, played in only 67 games in 2024 due to injuries and has fallen off a cliff offensively in recent years. He hit just .204/.269/.259 with two homers when on the field last year and won't be guaranteed consistent playing time when he returns to the Bronx.

The New York Yankees announced on Wednesday that they placed infielder DJ LeMahieu (calf) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to March 24) with a left-calf strain. LeMahieu's fantasy stock has fallen off a cliff the last few years. He was injured earlier this month and will not be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. The good news is that the 36-year-old veteran has been eased into baseball activities, but he's without a timetable for a return. With LeMahieu on the shelf, Oswaldo Cabrera will open the year as the team's starting third baseman. Depending on how Cabrera is playing when LeMahieu is ready to return, it's possible that LeMahieu will be relegated to a bench role as a corner-infield option for the Yanks. The former three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion played in just 67 games in 2024 due to injuries and slashed a lowly .204/.269/.259 with a career-worst .527 OPS.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that infielder DJ LeMahieu (calf) is "moving the needle" in his recovery from a left-calf strain and has been hitting in camp. LeMahieu suffered the calf injury over two weeks ago, and while he appears to be improving, it's likely that he'll start the 2025 regular season on the injured list with Opening Day coming next Thursday. After a disastrous 2024 campaign in which he hit just .204/.269/.259 with two home runs and 26 RBI in only 67 games due to injuries, the 36-year-old veteran's fantasy stock has tanked after his latest calf injury. LeMahieu will be in play for plenty of playing time at third base in the Bronx once he's healthy, but Oswaldo Cabrera is set to open the season there and could keep LeMahieu relegated to more of a bench role if he performs well in the early going. Fantasy managers can avoid LeMahieu in mixed leagues.