Aaron Boone proves he's not a serious manager with lineup strategy

The New York Yankees lost a frustrating game on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays, falling 9-1. Nestor Cortes struggled, but the Yankees managed just one run on five hits. That one run came in the ninth inning with the game out of reach.

Lack of offense is nothing new for this Yankees team that tends to struggle mightily when they don't get MVP-caliber production from Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. That star duo had just one hit in six at-bats on Saturday.

Veterans that the team has counted on to come through like Alex Verdugo, Gleyber Torres, and especially DJ LeMahieu simply haven't, and their offense has had its share of rough nights as a result. Playing guys like Verdugo and Torres, who were productive last season makes sense, but in the case of LeMahieu, a player who hasn't been himself since the 2020 season, it makes no sense that he continues to see regular playing time.

The fans are fed up judging by their boos, but that's not stopping Yankees manager Aaron Boone from inserting him into the starting lineup with regularity. Judging by his comments courtesy of Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (subscription required), it sounds like LeMahieu's starts won't be stopping anytime soon.

Aaron Boone's lineup decisions continue to hurt Yankees

To be fair, we don't honestly know how much control Boone has here. It could easily be Brian Cashman and the Yankees' front office forcing Boone to play LeMahieu, a player that they signed to a six-year, $90 million deal ahead of the 2021 season, every day. Whoever is making this decision, though, is not being serious.

Here's what Boone had to say about LeMahieu and his playing time:

“We got to keep running him out there,” Boone said. “He’s earned that. Where we are roster-wise, we have to give him the opportunity to unlock that. If we can do that, then obviously we know we’ve got a really good hitter on our hands. He’s going to continue to get opportunities here.”

Has he earned that? I mean, sure, he is a two-time batting champion and was in the MVP discussion a half-decade ago, but what about now? LeMahieu entered Saturday's game slashing .182/.275/.207 without a single home run in 38 games and 139 plate appearances. He's now hitless in his last 17 plate appearances after going 0-for-3 on Saturday.

As for where they are roster-wise, yes, things are pretty thin, but the Yankees just promoted an intriguing prospect who can play third base, Jorbit Vivas, only to send him down days later without an appearance, let alone an at-bat in the majors. He has a .827 OPS for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. Why not give him a chance?

When asked why Boone still thinks LeMahieu is still a really good hitter, his answer was even more jarring:

“Because he’s still got that great swing,” Boone said, “It’s about just hoping that he can find that groove. I’m sure he’s fighting some things mentally having not gone through struggles like this when he has been healthy before. You just got to keep working with him and hoping he can unlock it here.”

That "great swing" from LeMahieu had him hitting ground balls at an absurd 58.4 percent clip entering Saturday's game. The qualified leader in ground ball rate is Brendan Rodgers of the Colorado Rockies who has hit grounders at a 56.3 percent rate.

LeMahieu has a total of three extra-base hits this season. Not home runs, extra-base hits. They are all doubles. He has hit into three times as many double plays, which is hard to fathom.

It's not even as if LeMahieu is racking up singles like he used to. Boone referenced his batting titles, but his last one came in 2020. He's been a .253 hitter with a 96 OPS+ since. By any metric, he has been a subpar hitter in the last four seasons. That's a very large sample.

If Boone won't take him out of the lineup, it's on Brian Cashman to bring an upgrade in to force the issue. This Yankees team cannot afford to have an automatic out like LeMahieu playing every single day. Yes, he's still a good defender, and has more term on his contract, but he offers nothing offensively anymore.

It's time for the Yankees to play those deserving of reps and put the past aside. LeMahieu has not been an above-average hitter in quite some time. It's not 2020 anymore. If you want to win, you have to play your best. There is no chance that LeMahieu fits that in 2024.