Yankees stun nonbelievers and DFA DJ LeMahieu immediately after benching

You didn't think they'd actually do it, did you? Even after Aaron Boone sat down with DJ LeMahieu, stripped him of his starting role, and reported that the conversation went poorly, you really didn't think the Yankees would come to the conclusion they reached. But here we are. The Yankees have optimized their defensive alignment, kept things flexible ahead of the trade deadline, and moved on from a player who once meant a lot to them.

LeMahieu, benched as a result of Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s move to second base on Tuesday, was DFA'd on Wednesday instead of living out his role as a reserve bat. Oswald Peraza will likely man third base almost full-time in the interim, a position Boone admitted earlier in the week that LeMahieu could no longer physically handle.

Based on Boone's tone while explaining the move to the media on Wednesday, it's clear the long-term gravity of ending the relationship weighed on the entire team. But, despite some singles-hitting life with the bat lately, it had to happen. LeMahieu was physically unable to perform on defense. The Yankees are better for his departure.

How much money will Yankees pay DJ LeMahieu not to play for them on current contract?

It's $22 million in remaining funds, all of which will be paid out to LeMahieu over the course of the next 1.5 years, and none of which LeMahieu's next team will be responsible for. Similar to the way the Yankees handled Aaron Hicks' overdue departure, they waited until the moment LeMahieu showed signs of offensive life to let him down easy — but, again, the defense was not workable, and his fit on the Yankees' current roster was nonexistent. The Yankees need a starting-caliber third baseman and a backup infield rover who might be able to give Anthony Volpe a breather after the trade deadline. That person could come from the minor leagues. It could be Peraza. But LeMahieu couldn't handle that job, and the Yankees couldn't possibly retain both he and Peraza.

There were plenty of reasons the Yankees did not want this contract to reach a point of no return. LeMahieu was an MVP candidate in 2019 and 2020. He was a consummate gamer, even as his body betrayed him. The clubhouse, reportedly, fought for him and saved his job last September.

But, now that his contract extension signed in 2020-21 has concluded, it's official: he didn't participate in a single playoff game during that time, felled by injury each time the Yankees were eligible. That, sadly, speaks volumes.