#DJ LeMahieu impresses Yankees in return to lineup

Luke Voit and others believed it wouldn’t take DJ LeMahieu long to get ready for the upcoming 60-game regular season that opens Thursday.

LeMahieu reported to the Yankees on Friday after testing negative twice for COVID-19 and the smooth-swinging second baseman was in Aaron Boone’s lineup Sunday night against the Mets at Yankee Stadium in a 6-0 exhibition win.

While the Mets played Saturday night, LeMahieu worked out at the Stadium and did well enough for Boone to start the Yankees’ most complete hitter at second base and lead him off.

“I knew after [Saturday’s] workout he was leaning towards wanting to be in there,’’ Boone said during a Zoom call Sunday afternoon. “When he woke up [Sunday] morning he texted me that he was feeling good.’’

That led to a huddle with Michael Schuk, the Yankees’ director of sports medicine and rehabilitation, LeMahieu and Boone.

“We kind of went through and kind of mapped out a little bit of a plan moving forward and [Sunday] seemed to make some sense,’’ Boone said.

Boone was impressed with LeMahieu, who went 0-for-2 and was replaced by Thairo Estrada at the start of the top of the fourth.

“He looked good, smoked the ball his first time, kind of the typical DJ back up the middle and caught the pitcher and got to 3-2 his next at-bat,’’ Boone said. “Opportunity to get out there and see pitches. For not having any live at-bats yet he just looked like DJ. You had that feeling that when he was in the box he was going to lay the barrel on it. I thought a positive step for him.”

The bigger issue is will LeMahieu, 32, be built up enough to be in the Opening Day lineup against Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer?

“It’s a possibility, I don’t know if it is realistic or not,’’ LeMahieu said Saturday about being ready for the first game. “It’s up to the trainers and [Boone]. I think it will be pretty close. If not Opening Day, the first few games. For me, it is going to be live at-bats.’’