Yankees DJ LeMahieu ‘so excited’ about recovery from injury

TAMPA — DJ LeMahieu arrived at camp on Sunday and reported to be in perfect health.

After missing the playoffs last year with a fractured right big toe and second toe ligament injury, LeMahieu opted for rest over surgery this offseason and believes he made the right decision. . The Yankees’ success this season could hinge on it, as a healthy LeMahieu could be one of the most important bats on their roster with his contact-oriented approach.

“I’m so excited about where I’m at right now,” LeMahieu said Sunday morning as the position players showed up at Steinbrenner Field. “How the season ended for me last year and our team and where I am physically and mentally and to be back. I feel like I’m in a really good place and really excited to be with the guys again.

LeMahieu, 34, entered the injured list in September and then was activated for the final two series of the regular season to prove he could contribute to the playoffs. But he was still a shell of himself due to the foot injury, with his swing compromised by pain, so he was cut from the playoff roster and sorely missed by the Yankees.

Even before landing on the IL, LeMahieu was hit by the injury. On August 8, in his first 100 games, he hit .290 with an .827 OPS. A few days later, he missed a game against the Red Sox due to the injury and for the rest of the season (25 games), he hit just .149 no extra hits and .355 OPS.

“It got to a point – and I’ve been used to playing my whole career – but it was so limiting that I couldn’t be myself,” he said. “It was extremely frustrating.”

It was the second straight year in which LeMahieu missed the playoffs – “It’s the worst feeling,” he said – after being sidelined by surgery for a sports hernia. in 2021.

Now LeMahieu enters 2023 with a plan in place to keep him healthy.

“I can’t just go out and do a thousand swings every day and a thousand floor balls and call it a day,” LeMahieu said. “I really have to make sure I’m physically ready to play every day for the whole season. Nothing changes – it’s still the mindset. But probably spending more time making sure I can be on the court and being myself than making sure my swing is good.

After many conversations with the Yankees coaching staff and several doctors, LeMahieu chose rest and rehabilitation over surgery this offseason because the latter was unclear.

“We didn’t know if we wanted to operate on the big toe, the second toe or both,” he said. “So it was never clear that it was going to be that and that’s rehab and that’s how it’s going to feel. So I think I made the right decision.”