Acce s the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. TAMPA DJ LeMahieu went two months without swinging a bat this offseason, which, for the veteran baseball junkie, was e sentially a shock to the system. It was the longest time he could remember ever going without picking up a bat, but the 36-year-old was at a point in his career when he was willing to try anything to get fully healthy again. And though the Yankees infielder felt good when he started swinging again in January, hes been through this enough to know how much that matters. Its easy to feel good in January, LeMahieu said Tuesday with a wry grin inside the Yankees clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field. Injuries have taken a toll on LeMahieu over the past few seasons and sapped the production of the two-time batting champion. But its clear LeMahieu has also beaten himself up over that time for not being able to consistently suit up with his teammates and hold up his end of a six-year, $90 million contract. Its tough, its tough, said LeMahieu, who has two years and $30 million left on the deal. Ive definitely lost a lot of sleep, and its tough Lenny Dykstra Jersey to be a guy that the team cant rely on at times. I always take pride in that, so to not be able to do that, its definitely frustrating. At the same time, I havent lost my pa sion for helping this team and my pa sion for this team. That keeps me going. DJ LeMahieu throws to first base at Yankees spring training on Feb. 17, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Explore More LeMahieu saying he is healthy, and the , have become as much of a spring training ritual as pitchers fielding practice. The team raved about LeMahieu for most of last spring until he fouled a ball off his foot a few days before St. Patricks Day and suffered a non-displaced fracture. The year before that, he was still coming off dealing with the broken toe and torn ligament in another toe that derailed him late in the 2022 season (which had been a strong year until that point). Joel Sherman New York Yankees The result has been LeMahieu being a shell of himself at the plate, batting just .232 with a .663 OPS acro s 203 games over the past two years. For a majority of my career, Id pretty much play unle s my leg was cut off, the typically soft-spoken LeMahieu said in one of the more insightful interviews he has given in recent years. That was my mindset. I didnt go in the training room. I just strapped it on every day and played. The last few years, bumps and bruises, this and that, the foot fracture, stuff that I could kind of play through in the past, it escalates and compounds. I think thats been the frustrating part. Is it a major injury? Maybe, maybe not. But its the stuff that has been difficult to get past [that] has been frustrating. This spring, , which the Yankees could desperately use if he returns to being even close to the hitter he once was not to mention finding a potential solution at the leadoff spot. He is battling Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza to start at third base, but unlike them, LeMahieu has proven he can be a legitimate offensive force, even if he is a few years removed from it. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! The one thing I was always taught is the hit tool is one of those things that usually ages pretty well, manager Aaron Boone said. DJ certainly has the hit tool. Whats tripped him up is injuries. So thats why I think, with health, I do believe theres reason to believe theres a role to be played there. Is it an everyday role? Is it some kind of platoon role? His body will dictate that. How much life and how much he generates with the bat will dictate that. But I do believe if hes healthy, we gotta see whats in there. Besides the physical reset he went through this offseason, LeMahieu said he is trying to tap into all the resources the Yankees offer behind the scenes to help keep him healthy. DJ LeMahieu during baserunning drills at Yankees spring training on Feb. 17, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post LeMahieu knows he has his doubters, which he said has happened plenty of times before in his career. But this is not as much about proving them wrong as desperately trying to get back to playing the sport that didnt used to be this hard. Its the same game Ive been doing for a long time, its just been a little more difficult for me, LeMahieu said. But my pa sion for doing special things on the field and my pa sion for this organization and helping this team hasnt really wavered. But its obviously been a little bit more difficult for me. I feel good right now. I just gotta find a way to keep it that way. Wally Backman Jersey