BOSTON — Manager Aaron Boone looked over his fielding staff and saw plenty of reason for optimism.
Of course, there’s Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
He praised Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo for their recent work at the plate.
He likes the recent play of Austin Wells, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice.
DJ LeMahieu’s name was not on the Yankees manager’s list.
LeMahieu has also been out of the lineup recently, and the addition of Miami’s Jazz Chisholm over the weekend could further reduce his time on the field (and possibly with the Yankees as well). Chisholm’s athleticism could allow LeMahieu to play as an everyday third baseman.
The fading and aging corner infielder was on the bench for the second straight night as the Yankees faced off against the Red Sox on Saturday at Fenway Park.
Oswaldo Cabrera, whose swing has improved recently, started at third base, with Rice at first base.
LeMahieu is fine physically, Boone said.
His bat is another story.
The two-time batting champion’s batting average dropped to .178.
Among batters with at least 150 plate appearances, LeMahieu’s batting average was the seventh-worst and his OPS (.495) was the fifth-worst.
LeMahieu pitched six innings on Friday before being moved to first base defensively with the Yankees leading by three runs.
The lead was gone when LeMahieu came to bat in the ninth inning.
He struck out Kenley Jansen on a cutter.
If there was any hope of a comeback for the 36-year-old, it is fading.
He has been plagued by foot and toe injuries over the past three years, including a non-displaced fracture that kept him from playing in a major league game until late May this season.
He’s back in front of the bat.
Monday’s home run was his only one in his first 44 games. His power was waning and his bat just couldn’t make solid contact.
This sad situation may lead the Yankees to make some new decisions regarding aging players who should be getting paid big money.
When it became clear last year that Aaron Hicks’ play wasn’t improving, the Yankees listed the then-33-year-old Hicks for release despite him having nearly three years and $30 million remaining on his contract.
LeMahieu is set to make $15 million this season and another $15 million each over the next two years.
Will the Yankees cut ties with LeMahieu early, make him a high-paid backup, or hope that one day things will turn around?
There are plenty of questions facing the Yankees ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
That includes the question of what to do with LeMahieu, who will have a harder time proving he can still be effective if he’s unable to get on the field.
