May 17, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) follows through on a solo home run against the New York Mets during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees' DJ LeMahieu Turns Back Clock vs. Mets

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated May 18, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The 2024 season was one to forget for DJ LeMahieu, but the New York Yankees veteran is ready to turn a new page.

The Yankees activated the 36-year-old, who had been dealing with a left calf strain since the early goings of spring training, off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday after placing Oswaldo Cabrera on the IL with a fractured ankle.

In nine games during his rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, LeMahieu slashed .444/.500/.593. He went 1-for-4 with a walk over parts of two contests against the Seattle Mariners upon his return earlier this week, though it wasn't until he set foot into Yankee Stadium for the first time this year that he turned back the clock.

LeMahieu reintroduced himself to the short porch in his initial at-bat of the game on Saturday against New York Mets starter Griffin Canning, poking a 94.8-mph fastball over the right field fence for a solo home run that gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

Go DJ (LeMahieu), that's my DJ (LeMahieu)

The Yankees are on the board! #RivalryWeekend pic.twitter.com/HKT6axiAYs
— MLB (@MLB) May 17, 2025

He followed that up by scorching a single into center field in the fifth that came off his bat at 100.5 mph. LeMahieu nearly played hero with two outs and the bases loaded in a 2-2 game during the eighth inning as well, lacing a 106.6-mph liner into right field that found its way into Juan Soto's glove.

He also left his mark on defense, making a sliding stop and throwing out Francisco Lindor on a grounder that appeared ticketed for right-center field in the top of the seventh, which would've provided the Mets with a 3-2 lead.

THE DJ LEMAHIEU GAME IN 2025! pic.twitter.com/YGlfxRRC5m
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 17, 2025

The Yankees' winning efforts ultimately proved futile after their crosstown rivals pushed across a run in the ninth inning, but the club can still derive plenty of optimism from LeMahieu's standout performance.

The three-time All-Star, as mentioned before, had a tough go of it last season, hitting .204/.269/.259 in 228 plate appearances while battling through foot, face and hip injuries.

Once upon a time, LeMahieu was lauded as one of the top-value free agent signings in recent history after agreeing to a two-year, $24 million deal with the Bronx Bombers ahead of the 2019 campaign. Over the duration of that contract, he batted .336/.386/.536 across 195 contests and 871 plate appearances while twice finishing top-four in AL MVP voting.

LeMahieu hasn't been the same player since re-upping with the Yankees on a six-year, $90 million pact in January 2021, owning a .700 OPS across 481 games since doing so, but the team is hopeful that he can step up in Cabrera's absence.

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