DJ LeMahieu has ‘lost a lot of sleep’ over the Yankees injury nightmare he’s driven to shake

TAMPA — DJ LeMahieu went two months without swinging a bat this offseason, which for the veteran baseball junkie, was essentially a shock to the system.

It was the longest time he could remember ever going without picking up a bat, but the 36-year-old was at a point in his career where he was willing to try anything to get fully healthy again.

And while the Yankees infielder felt good when he started swinging again in January, he’s been through this enough to know how much that matters.

“It’s easy to feel good in January,” LeMahieu said Tuesday with a wry grin inside the Yankees clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field.

Injuries have taken a toll on LeMahieu over the last few seasons and sapped the production of the two-time batting champion. But it’s clear that LeMahieu has also beaten himself up over that time for not being able to consistently suit up with his teammates and hold up his end of a six-year, $90 million contract.

“It’s tough, it’s tough,” said LeMahieu, who has two years and $30 million left on the deal. “I’ve definitely lost a lot of sleep and it’s tough to be a guy that the team can’t rely on at times. I always take pride in that, so to not be able to do that, it’s definitely frustrating. At the same time, I haven’t lost my passion for helping this team and my passion for this team. That keeps me going.”