New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone tipped his hand a bit today regarding the potential regular season lineup when speaking about DJ LeMahieu, who hit leadoff in today's spring training game that featured nearly every starter.
“I love DJ in that spot,” Aaron Boone said, via Marly Rivera of ESPN.
DJ LeMahieu was one of the best hitters in the Yankees lineup last season during their historic start, then he had a toe injury that hampered his play in the second half and eventually caused him to miss time. He opted to not get surgery this offseason, and said he is back to 100%.
When LeMahieu was out last season, the Yankees used Aaron Judge in the leadoff spot down the stretch, and it worked. However, putting Aaron Judge in the leadoff spot gave him more at-bats in his chase for 62 home runs.
The Yankees did try multiple options at the leadoff spot early on in 2022, starting the season with Josh Donaldson in that spot, and that did not last too long. Josh Donaldson had a disappointing offensive season for the team.
Aaron Hicks was also used in the leadoff spot a decent amount. However, Aaron Hicks disappointed to the point where the Yankees traded for his replacement in Andrew Benintendi.
LeMahieu has been the leadoff hitter for the Yankees in many years. However, with him coming off of an injury and the Yankees tinkering with that spot in the lineup in 2022, there was some question about who would be the team's leadoff hitter in 2023. With Boone's latest comments, it seems we have a favorite for that role.
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