Former Batting Champion Could Lose Yankees Job

A former batting champion may become the odd man out for the New York Yankees.

Jun 11, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees second base DJ LeMahieu (26) rounds third base during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Despite snapping a 30-inning scoreless streak against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, the New York Yankees are in the midst of their longest losing streak this season at six games.

The club's offense has hit a proverbial wall, and with the July 31 trade deadline still well over a month away, they're going to have to improve from within for the immediate future.

As New York searches for answers and looks to break out of its rut, ESPN's Buster Olney believes the most straightforward solution is removing DJ LeMahieu from the lineup.

“Look, if you’re thinking about possible change with this lineup, the guy to watch, no question, is DJ LeMahieu,” Olney said on the 'Baseball Tonight' podcast. “He’s 36 years old. He turns 37 next month ... I think part of the reason the Yankees put Jazz Chisholm at third base when he came off the injured list was they want to maintain flexibility in case they decide to make a change. LeMahieu would be the obvious guy to be dealt if they decide to do that.”

Dealing LeMahieu away, like Olney suggested, isn't an overly realistic outcome unless the Yankees are willing to eat nearly all of the remaining money on his contract while also receiving nothing of substance in return.

The 36-year-old second baseman is making $15 million this campaign and will earn the same amount in 2026 before a six-year, $90 million contract that he signed with the team in January 2021 expires.

The three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion received MVP votes in 2019 and 2020, which covered the entirety of his original two-year, $24 million deal with the Yankees, but he's fallen off over the past few seasons.

LeMahieu posted a .527 OPS over 67 games in 2024 while battling a foot injury, and his slash line this year sits at .244/.333/.341 heading into New York's series finale vs. the Angels on Thursday afternoon.

The Yankees moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. over to third base on a full-time basis in order to accommodate LeMahieu, and while he's excelled defensively at second, he may find himself without a role on the team unless he heats up at the plate.

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