Yankees: Latest update on DJ LeMahieu will finally give NYY fans a reason to smile

Yankees fans just learned DJ LeMahieu is progressing extremely well.

DJ LeMahieu, or “The Machine,” or “The Guy Who Makes the New York Yankees Offense Go,” fell victim to the team’s immortal injury bug when he went down with a sprained thumb against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Initial reports after he was injured on Aug. 15 suggested he may not be back for another 2-3 weeks, and naturally, many fans expected that timetable to reach its maximum limit given how things were trending for the Bombers so far in 2020.

But the latest update on DJLM suggests he could be back in the batter’s box for the Yankees THIS WEEKEND!

Here’s the latest from Yankees insider Bryan Hoch:

“On the 10-day IL with a left thumb sprain, LeMahieu took on-field batting practice Thursday at Yankee Stadium, as did designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. Boone said that LeMahieu will report to the alternate site in Moosic, Pa. and could return to play in the Subway Series against the Mets.”

We’re going to forget the fact Aaron Judge might land on the IL again just for a moment since we’ve known that for almost 24 hours now. Yankees fans need a reason to get up in the morning after all that’s happened with this team over the course of the last two and a half weeks.

The offense has pretty much been nonexistent since losing a number of core players, but one could argue LeMahieu going down hurt the most. The former NL batting champ is the team’s engine and was batting .411 through 19 games before getting hurt. In 164 games with the Bombers, he’s slashing .336/.383/.520 with 124 runs scored, 28 home runs and 110 RBI.

He brings both top-tier aggressiveness and patience to the plate, and his presence at the leadoff spot really helps this offense get in a rhythm. Look, we love Luke Voit taking hacks up there, but we need a shred of normalcy to return to our lives after all of this chaos.

After scoring just 12 runs in their last five games, the Yankees could get a much-needed jolt with LeMahieu’s somewhat speedy return. Oh yeah, and they’ll be facing the Mets, so that always helps.

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