Yankees Veteran Responds to Potentially Losing Job

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu could be out of a job very soon. With the return of some fellow players who offer bigger offensive production, LeMahieu may see himself benched in favor of infielders with more hitting power.

LeMahieu is on a six-year, $90 million contract with the Yankees. New York Post writer Joel Sherman asked him if he was feeling pressure to produce, with all eyes on the infield.

“No, not at all,” LeMahieu said. “I have too much else to focus on.”

LeMahieu may find himself riding the bench sooner rather than later. While he's a perfectly fine hitter, batting .258/.333/.371 (99 OPS+) with two home runs and nine RBIs in 69 ABs through 20 games, the Yankees have one of the best hitting lineups in the league, especially with Giancarlo Stanton set to make a return from injury. LeMahieu is also aging, and while he's a three-time All-Star and four-time Golden Glove recipient, he turns 37 this season and hasn't been having the kind of production he used to.

Stanton will likely need to return as designated hitter, pushing current DH Ben Rice to the infield. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. back from injury at 3rd base and Paul Goldschmidt proving he is worth every dollar of his $12.5 million contract at 1st, that pushes LeMahieu out at 2nd base.

Sherman agrees, writing that LeMahieu could easily be replaced with an addition to the infield before the trade deadline.

"The Yanks are accommodating LeMahieu by letting him play second, where he feels most comfortable," he wrote. "But the not-out-loud subsidiary reason the Yanks moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to third is because third base is a difficult position to currently envision a substantive player becoming available before the trade deadline. Thus, the Yanks wanted to open the potential to find a second or third baseman if necessary."

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

• Yankees Superstar Takes Massive Step Toward Return
• Yankees Could Surprisingly Give Up No. 1 Prospect
• Former Yankees Get Revenge in Red Sox Win
• Aaron Judge Gets Brutally Honest About Tying Yankees Legend’s Record
• Yankees' Aaron Judge Makes Rare History vs. Red Sox