NEW YORK \u2014 The writing was on the wall for DJ LeMahieu when manager Aaron Boone said that he would be a bench player for the New York Yankees. A day later, LeMahieu\u2019s seven-year career in pinstripes ended when the Yankees announced Wednesday they had designated him for assignment.<\/p>\n
Unless another team claims him, the club will owe LeMahieu about $22 million, which includes the rest of his $15 million salary this season, along with $15 million in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a tough couple days, some hard conversations and then ultimately coming to this decision, obviously not easy for what\u2019s been a great player,\u201d Boone said. \u201cHe\u2019s done a lot of great things for this organization, but in the end, I feel like this is the right thing to do at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boone said LeMahieu did not ask for his release. According to the manager, LeMahieu had a long talk with general manager Brian Cashman on Tuesday night and they talked a couple of times Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In LeMahieu\u2019s place, the Yankees have added infielder Jorbit Vivas to the 26-man roster. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving over to second base and LeMahieu off the roster, Boone said Oswald Peraza, Vivas and JC Escarra will be the third-base options.<\/p>\n
LeMahieu, 36, becomes the fourth notable veteran since 2023 to be placed on waivers by the club, joining Aaron Hicks, Josh Donaldson and Harrison Bader. When the Yankees released Hicks in May 2023, the club owed him $27.6 million \u2014\u00a0$10 million of which is being paid out this year.<\/p>\n
LeMahieu signed a six-year, $90 million extension following the shortened 2020 season, in which he finished third in the American League MVP race behind Jose Abreu and Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez. But since then, LeMahieu\u2019s offense has cratered as he\u2019s dealt with several lower-body injuries. His 99 wRC+ since the start of the 2021 season is the 20th-worst among all major-league hitters with at least 2,000 plate appearances.<\/p>\n
With LeMahieu no longer having the positional versatility he once possessed, his departure from the Yankees became inevitable. In announcing LeMahieu\u2019s benching Tuesday, Boone said it was a \u201cchallenge\u201d physically for him to play third base. This was after the club planned on having LeMahieu be an option to start at the position entering the 2025 season, but a left calf injury sustained in spring training made that no longer possible.<\/p>\n