There is always that one night for the Yankees when optimism feels like it is leaking through the lights. The standings look better. The bats are loud. The future? Just could be, it is now.
However, as the buzz grows louder and the scoreboard begins to highlight that long-promised power and a quiet corner of the infield still whispers uncertainty. Oswaldo Cabrera was assumed to lock it down by now—however, instead, all eyes have turned to a veteran whose story is still being rewritten.
When DJ LeMahieu stepped onto the field Tuesday night for his first action since March, it was not just another rehab culmination. It was the Yankees’ unofficial reset at third base. In that place, for the team, answers are limited and expectations are sky-high. LeMahieu is a two-time batting star and former MVP finalist. However, he entered the team not as a sure thing, however, as a question mark shaped by injuries, declining data and a $90 M price tag that is suddenly under scrutiny. He did not record a hit in his pinch-hit play, but LeMahieu’s return alone sparked a new phase in the Yankees’ infield shuffle.
The timing could not have been more dramatic. Cabrera’s ankle injury opened a gap at third base, which forced Aaron Boone into an audition-mode approach. That is where LeMahieu enters. Last season, the veteran posted a rough .527 OPS with a 52 wRC—data that left multiple stars questioning if the decrease in performance had already settled in. DJ LeMahieu spent the offseason in recovery, nursing a spring training calf strain, mostly in silence. However, now, the liability to plug that gap looks to fall squarely on LeMahieu’s shoulders.
It is not just the fans asking for performance. Inside the tram, liability is the currency. As Buster Olney said, “Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt is simple and direct in communicating with players and one aspect he has said to his team is: I do not make the lineup. You guys make the lineup with how you play. And this is where the Yankees and Aaron Boone are with third base in the aftermath of Oswaldo Cabrera’s devastating ankle injury: If one of the candidates hits, he will continue to play. The veteran on the clock now is DJ LeMahieu; if he hits, he’ll continue to get started. If not, the Yankees’ search for third base help will continue”.
Time to be honest—Boone is not bluffing. The Yankees can not afford another black hole at the hot corner, specifically, not with a power ranking surge that is lighting up fan expectations. LeMahieu’s versatility has always been his calling card—he is the team’s Swiss army knife. However, a utility blade dulls without outcome and performance.
A Surprise Trade Thought That Could Keep the Yankees at the Top
Just when it looked like the team could have finally struck gold with a bat they did not count on, the management could be leaning toward flipping it for stars. Trent Grisham—once a throw-in alongside Juan Soto—is now swinging like an All-Star. Grisham is mashing at a .294/.374/.651 clip with 12 homers and 22 RBI. Such data has ranked the star among MLB’s most dangerous sluggers, just after stars like Shohei Ohtani. However, the team, despite riding high in the standings, knows that hot streaks do not last forever. Which is why a sell-high thought pitched by Heavy’s TJ French is getting attention.
In French’s proposal, Trent Grisham heads to the Braves in exchange for starting pitcher Grant Holmes. He is an elite mid-rotation star with a 4.14 ERA over eight starts. It is not flashy, but for the team’s rotation, which has been riddled with uncertainty—Gerrit Cole is out, Marcus Stroman is going through setbacks and Will Warren has struggled—Holmes highlights needed depth and quick value. However, trading offense for elite stability will be a gamble. The bet? Grisham cools off and Holmes helps to keep the Yankees’ pitching from derailing their power-ranking climb.
The Yankees’ rise in the power rankings is no fluke, however, staying there will need vital decisions and timely performances. Whether it is DJ LeMahieu reclaiming third base and an analyzed trade engaging with Trent Grisham, the force is on to get every move right. Stay tuned—October asks for precision.
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