The New York Yankees Need to Bench DJ LeMahieu for the Rest of the Season

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I don't know who they are or who exactly said it first, but it applies to Yankees Manager Aaron Boone and his decision to play DJ LeMahieu as much as he has. He is downright terrible.

There is no question the current first baseman for the Bronx Bombers was once a great player for the Yankees and before that the Rockies. His overall career stats include a .289 batting average, over 1,700 hits and 882 runs. However, as of late he has been one of the worst players in the league. It may be anecdotal to some, but it seems like every time there is a boneheaded play defensively, LeMahieu is somehow involved.

In Tuesday nights dreadful 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals, the Yankees committed the most errors in a single game since 2021. That number is 4. Of the four, LeMahieu was charged with one of them and was involved with another when Yankees catcher Jose Trevino tried to throw out a runner on a play to first and LeMahieu just didn't catch the ball. It is almost to the point where fans are starting to feel bad for him. It's becoming hard to watch. His stats are absolutely pitiful. He only has 2 home runs this season. On Tuesday he went 1-4, with a single that he was lucky to get on a fumbled ground ball. He batting an even .200, but has been consistently below that mark most of the season.

While his performance has been just plain awful, it comes down to managing. The decisions made by Yankees Manager Aaron Boone this year, really the last two years, are just maddening. I must admit I would not do better, but there are several out there who could and should. It seems like every move he makes backfires on him. One chance Boone had to redeem himself, was benching LeMahieu in the 9th in favor of a pinch hitter. He didn't and LeMahieu once again disappointed. Some people don't know when it's time to call it quits. Either DJ or management has to come to that realization sooner rather than later. Bench the guy and minimize any further damage he can do this season.