The Yankees have two former All-Stars splitting time at third base, but right now, neither are playing like it.
DJ LeMahieu sat for a third straight game Wednesday night as the Yankees beat the Mariners 4-2 in The Bronx as part of what manager Aaron Boone called a “reset” for the typically reliable infielder.
His night on the bench, however, was considerably better than that of Josh Donaldson, who went hitless for a third straight game (0-for-4) and was booed loudly by the Stadium crowd after multiple at-bats for a second consecutive game.
“I think he wants to show them and I think he knows he’s got it in there,’’ Boone said of Donaldson. “He’s been around a long time, had a lot of success and been in the eye of the storm in a lot of places in his career.”
Rarely more so than with the Yankees, as he is in the midst of another rough season after a very subpar 2022.
General manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday he wants Donaldson to get more at-bats before making any judgments about how he’s hitting.
Donaldson is less than three weeks removed from a stint on the injured list with a hamstring injury that cost him nearly two months.
LeMahieu’s issues have left the Yankees perplexed, since he says he feels good, but the results have not followed.
“He’s getting some days off, but then he’s gonna play a lot,’’ Boone said.
LeMahieu and Donaldson were among the hitters who took early batting practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Hopefully this is a little reset for him,’’ Boone said of LeMahieu. “The weird part is, and I’ve talked to him about it, I can’t relate to him because he’s never done anything but hit.”
At least until last year, when he was unproductive for much of the second half, something that could be attributed to the fractured foot he played through.
That led LeMahieu going through a miserable stretch in August and early September, which resulting in him being shut down for most of the final month of the season.
After he opted against offseason foot surgery, LeMahieu had a solid first six weeks of this season before enduring the lengthy slump.
LeMahieu said after sitting out the victory Wednesday that he talked with the coaching staff for about half an hour on Monday, a day off, about how to get his swing back.
He said that led him to do more work.
“We’re trying to find solutions to get on the right track,’’ LeMahieu said. “Honestly, I think I developed some bad habits from last year, dealing with the foot. I’m trying to get back to square one.”
The lack of production from Donaldson and LeMahieu has helped put the Yankees at 27th in OPS in the majors at third base (.633). Last year, they were 14th at the position (.735).
While LeMahieu was held out of the lineup for a third straight game — avoiding tough Seattle righty Luis Castillo — Boone said he would “probably” start Thursday against Bryan Woo, a right-hander with a 7.30 ERA.
If LeMahieu isn’t hurt, the Yankees need to find out why his exit velocity has plummeted over the course of the season, dropping from an average of 93 mph in April to 88.7 in June. His strikeouts continue to be a concern.
Despite the lack of an answer so far, the Yankees are confident LeMahieu is dealing with a mechanical issue with his swing and not an injury.
“We’re making sure he’s physically good,’’ Boone said. “As much as he’s struggled this past month, hitting is subtle and a little adjustment can unlock you. He’s working through it and I do believe he’ll get there to where he’s DJ.”