DJ LeMahieu batted .327 and then .364 during his first two seasons as a Yankee, but he's dropped off considerably in the three campaigns since. Last season, the veteran posted the lowest batting average (.243) and highest strikeout rate (22.2 percent) of his career. It could be that the foot injury that derailed the second half of his 2022 campaign continued to bother LeMahieu into 2023, but there's also the distinct possibility that the 35-year-old is simply losing ground to Father Time. Despite the recent falloff, there are a few reasons to believe LeMahieu could rebound to an extent next season: he still has near-elite bat-to-ball skills, and he experienced a mini-resurgence between the All-Star break and the end of August last year, posting an .879 OPS over 37 games before falling off again during the final month of the season. It's unlikely that he'll return to the form that netted him two batting titles, and he's a below-average contributor in power and speed, so fantasy managers shouldn't look to LeMahieu before the very late rounds of drafts. Still, opportunity should be there, either as New York's starting third baseman or as a utility man in a near-everyday role.
