The New York Yankees made waves when they signed infielder DJ LeMahieu to a six-year, $90 million contract last offseason. LeMahieu then went on to struggle mightily at the plate for New York in 2021, making them look bad for their faith in him. However, according to a Yankees rumor via MLB Trade Rumors and Dan Martin of the New York Post, there was an extremely painful reason for LeMahieu's big step back last season.
Yankees officials believe DJ LeMahieu’s lackluster 2021 could be traced to a sports hernia that the infielder tried to play through before finally getting surgery after the season, The New York Post’s Dan Martin writes.
According to this Yankees rumor, club officials believe that DJ LeMahieu was attempting to play through a painful sports hernia injury in 2021, an ailment for which he received surgery following the season.
This would certainly explain why LeMahieu, who hit .327 and then .364 in his first season-and-a-half with the Yankees, lost nearly 100 points on his batting average last season.
There seemed to be moments during the season where LeMahieu was putting things together, though those moments were few and far between for the Yankees.
As MLB Trade rumors notes, LeMahieu returning to good health would be a big help for the Yankees in their attempt to realign their defensive infield, as the veteran can shift between first, second and third base.
It was disappointing to see DJ LeMahieu struggle in his first season after signing a big extension, though this recent Yankees rumor sheds some light on those struggles.
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