DJ LeMahieu makes his 2nd return to Coors Field with Yanks as his former team historically struggles
DENVER AP For DJ LeMahieu it doesn t seem all that long ago when he was leading the Colorado Rockies to back-to-back postseason appearances Those he recounted were several of his fondest memories as a member of the squad For the Rockies faithful though it feels like forever The franchise hasn t been back to the playoffs since LeMahieu left to join the New York Yankees through free agency after the season Sure LeMahieu misses hitting at Coors Field as he returns this weekend for the second time as a member of the Yankees And indeed he feels for the Rockies this season as they ve fallen to - the worst start through games since But he can t argue with the success he s unveiled in New York either I feel like I made a pretty good choice stated LeMahieu who s working his way back from a calf injury that kept him on the injured list until May I m happy to be here with the Yankees Being back in town LeMahieu couldn t help but stroll down memory lane He s been texting back and forth with former teammates and friends now in the front office Charlie Blackmon is the special assistant to the general manager for Colorado There s a lot of people here still from when I played here LeMahieu mentioned When he was with the Rockies the company had a nucleus that included him Blackmon Nolan Arenado Trevor Story and Carlos Gonz lez The Rockies lost in the NL Wild Card Tournament in and won in the same round a year later over the Chicago Cubs before losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in the Division Series It s a special place for me LeMahieu stated Just the city the stadium Grew up as a competitor played around a lot of great players that really helped me That s what makes seeing their struggles now so challenging to watch I still root for them Not this weekend but from afar I inevitably root for them declared LeMahieu who spent seven seasons with Colorado after being acquired in a agreement with the Chicago Cubs before the season A lot of good people around here still since I was here It s been a tough go for them though He s constantly enjoyed batting at Coors Field where he s hit with homers and RBIs in career games in the Mile High City He won the NL batting title with the Rockies when he hit I mean yeah I miss hitting here every day he noted Not as easy on the body but good place to hit for sure He s thrived in New York when healthy and captured the AL batting title by hitting The three-time All-Star hasn t had a fully healthy season since that season I feel like I m hitting the ball hard and feel like I m seeing the ball pretty well revealed LeMahieu who s hitting this season Just going to keep it rolling Slugger Aaron Judge gets his first taste of hitting in Denver s elevation outside of the All-Star Match at Coors Field when he was for with a walk I don t think it really matters where he hits though LeMahieu noted He can launch them with the best of anybody Notes Infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr oblique strain and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton elbow issues are in New York this weekend getting in particular work Chisholm could potentially get certain live at-bats soon in Tampa That s potentially in the cards manager Aaron Boone explained Boone wasn t sure when righty Marcus Stroman left knee would have his next side session Hopefully get to a point to where we get him back to live and see how the knee responds to that Boone explained AP MLB https apnews com hub MLB Source