DJ LeMahieu showed signs of life at the exact moment Yankees needed him to

The Yankees, in desperate need of a spark following two consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers, received some help from some unexpected sources as they salvaged the series and won the finale on Sunday by a score of 7-3. One of those pieces could very well be what takes the Yankees to the next level in 2025.

First off, Ryan Yarbrough was absolutely fantastic. The crafty southpaw spun a gem, giving up one run over six innings.

Since becoming a starter, Yarbrough has posted an ERA of 2.08 across 26.0 innings. Pretty impressive for a guy who was listed ninth on the Yankees starting pitching depth chart coming into the season.

But Yarbrough's fantastic start was not the most surprising performance of the night. DJ LeMahieu, who has struggled since making his season debut earlier this month, recorded four hits and two RBI, marking his first four-hit game since 2021.

DJ LeMahieu showed signs of life at the exact time Yankees needed him to

The now 36-year-old LeMahieu gave Yankees fans flashbacks to his days as LeMachine, peppering the opposite field with line drives. Three out of his four hits went to right field, including his only extra-base hit of the night, a laser over the head of Teoscar Hernández. LeMahieu single-handedly made sure the Dodgers right fielder got his conditioning in, as he spent all night chasing the ball off the bat of the Yankees' second baseman.

If LeMahieu can properly get going, it could be a massive shot in the arm of both the Yankees team and the fanbase, as many fans had begun to lose hope that we would ever see anything close to the levels LeMahieu showed early on his Yankees tenure. We all expected some decline with age, but the injuries have completely derailed him over the past couple seasons.

He missed most of last season through injury, and he looked like a shell of himself when he was on the field. I had begun to expect the worst for LeMahieu when he was injured in early on in this year's spring training, even more so when he had to receive a pre-emptive cortisone shot after only a handful of rehab appearances in the minors.

Despite the setback, he did make a relatively timely recovery, making his season debut as a pinch-hitter on May 13 in Seattle. He made his first start the following day, picking up his first hit and adding on a walk.

He continued to have a solid start to his season in the Subway Series, recording three hits, including his first home run of the year.

Things were looking up for DJ, and there were rumblings that he might have finally found something after getting past all the injuries. This, however, would not be the case. Following the Subway Series, LeMahieu went hitless in nine of his next 10 games. The only exception was a three-hit performance in Colorado.

The big question for LeMahieu is whether Sunday night was just another good game or something he can truly build off of.

Yankees fans should hope for the latter, as the Bronx Bombers could use a hitter like LeMahieu: A veteran presence who knows his role, hits for a solid average, and puts the ball in play. Amidst a flurry of sluggers, a pesky, old-school hitter like DJ could truly elevate the Yankees offense to a whole different level.

The only thing we can do now is sit back, watch, and hope for the best.