diff --git a/value.go b/value.go
index 77a023265..06620b23f 100644
--- a/value.go
+++ b/value.go
@@ -183,6 +183,10 @@ func (vlog *valueLog) rewrite(f *logFile) error {
 			vlog.opt.Debugf("Processing entry %d", count)
 		}
 
+		if isDeletedOrExpired(e.meta, e.ExpiresAt) {
+			return nil
+		}
+
 		vs, err := vlog.db.get(e.Key)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -1037,9 +1041,6 @@ func discardEntry(e Entry, vs y.ValueStruct, db *DB) bool {
 		// Version not found. Discard.
 		return true
 	}
-	if isDeletedOrExpired(vs.Meta, vs.ExpiresAt) {
-		return true
-	}
 	if (vs.Meta & bitValuePointer) == 0 {
 		// Key also stores the value in LSM. Discard.
 		return true
diff --git a/value_gc_rewrite_bench_test.go b/value_gc_rewrite_bench_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c3095fc66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/value_gc_rewrite_bench_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+/*
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: © 2017-2025 Istari Digital, Inc.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package badger
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+const (
+	benchmarkRewriteExpiredKeyCount         = 8192
+	benchmarkRewriteLiveKeyCount            = 4096
+	benchmarkRewriteValueSize               = 2 << 10
+	benchmarkRewriteValueLogFileSize        = 8 << 20
+	benchmarkRewriteValueThreshold          = 128
+	benchmarkRewriteEntryExpiry      uint64 = 1
+)
+
+func benchmarkValueGCRewriteOptions(dir string) Options {
+	opt := getTestOptions(dir)
+	opt.ValueLogFileSize = benchmarkRewriteValueLogFileSize
+	opt.BaseTableSize = 1 << 20
+	opt.BaseLevelSize = 4 << 20
+	opt.ValueThreshold = benchmarkRewriteValueThreshold
+	opt.NumCompactors = 0
+	opt.MetricsEnabled = false
+	return opt
+}
+
+func benchmarkWriteEntries(b *testing.B, db *DB, prefix string, count int, value []byte, expiresAt uint64) {
+	b.Helper()
+
+	for i := 0; i < count; {
+		txn := db.NewTransaction(true)
+		for ; i < count; i++ {
+			entry := NewEntry([]byte(fmt.Sprintf("%s-%08d", prefix, i)), value)
+			entry.ExpiresAt = expiresAt
+
+			err := txn.SetEntry(entry)
+			if err == ErrTxnTooBig {
+				require.NoError(b, txn.Commit())
+				txn = nil
+				break
+			}
+			require.NoError(b, err)
+		}
+		if txn != nil {
+			require.NoError(b, txn.Commit())
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func benchmarkPrepareRewriteFixture(b *testing.B, dir string) {
+	b.Helper()
+
+	db, err := Open(benchmarkValueGCRewriteOptions(dir))
+	require.NoError(b, err)
+
+	expiredValue := bytes.Repeat([]byte("e"), benchmarkRewriteValueSize)
+	liveValue := bytes.Repeat([]byte("l"), benchmarkRewriteValueSize)
+
+	// Fill the earliest vlog files with expired entries before appending live entries.
+	benchmarkWriteEntries(b, db, "expired", benchmarkRewriteExpiredKeyCount, expiredValue, benchmarkRewriteEntryExpiry)
+	benchmarkWriteEntries(b, db, "live", benchmarkRewriteLiveKeyCount, liveValue, 0)
+
+	require.NoError(b, db.Close())
+}
+
+func copyDir(src, dst string) error {
+	return filepath.Walk(src, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		relPath, err := filepath.Rel(src, path)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		targetPath := filepath.Join(dst, relPath)
+		if info.IsDir() {
+			return os.MkdirAll(targetPath, info.Mode())
+		}
+		if !info.Mode().IsRegular() {
+			return fmt.Errorf("unsupported file mode for %s", path)
+		}
+
+		srcFile, err := os.Open(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		dstFile, err := os.OpenFile(targetPath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_WRONLY|os.O_TRUNC, info.Mode())
+		if err != nil {
+			_ = srcFile.Close()
+			return err
+		}
+		if _, err := io.Copy(dstFile, srcFile); err != nil {
+			_ = srcFile.Close()
+			_ = dstFile.Close()
+			return err
+		}
+		if err := srcFile.Close(); err != nil {
+			_ = dstFile.Close()
+			return err
+		}
+		return dstFile.Close()
+	})
+}
+
+func BenchmarkValueGCRewriteExpiredOnlyFile(b *testing.B) {
+	rootDir := b.TempDir()
+	fixtureDir := filepath.Join(rootDir, "fixture")
+	benchmarkPrepareRewriteFixture(b, fixtureDir)
+
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		b.StopTimer()
+
+		runDir := filepath.Join(rootDir, fmt.Sprintf("run-%03d", i))
+		require.NoError(b, copyDir(fixtureDir, runDir))
+
+		db, err := Open(benchmarkValueGCRewriteOptions(runDir))
+		require.NoError(b, err)
+
+		fids := db.vlog.sortedFids()
+		require.Greater(b, len(fids), 1)
+
+		db.vlog.filesLock.RLock()
+		lf := db.vlog.filesMap[fids[0]]
+		db.vlog.filesLock.RUnlock()
+
+		b.StartTimer()
+		err = db.vlog.rewrite(lf)
+		b.StopTimer()
+		require.NoError(b, err)
+
+		require.NoError(b, db.Close())
+		removeDir(runDir)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/value_test.go b/value_test.go
index 2e7065644..374bce8f8 100644
--- a/value_test.go
+++ b/value_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ package badger
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"errors"
+	"expvar"
 	"fmt"
 	"math"
 	"math/rand"
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	humanize "github.com/dustin/go-humanize"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -896,6 +898,87 @@ func (th *testHelper) writeRange(from, to int) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestValueGCRewriteSkipsLSMGetOnlyForExpiredEntriesInMixedVlogFile(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	opt := getTestOptions(dir)
+	opt.ValueLogFileSize = 1 << 20
+	opt.BaseTableSize = 1 << 15
+	opt.ValueThreshold = 1 << 10
+
+	kv, err := Open(opt)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer kv.Close()
+
+	rng := rand.New(rand.NewSource(2))
+	const mixedEntryCount = 16
+	const mixedLiveEntryCount = mixedEntryCount / 2
+	const extraLiveEntryCount = 1
+	// Leave enough room for entry metadata so all mixed entries stay in one vlog file.
+	valueSize := int(opt.ValueLogFileSize/int64(mixedEntryCount)) - 512
+	values := make([][]byte, mixedEntryCount)
+	for i := range values {
+		values[i] = make([]byte, valueSize)
+		_, err = rng.Read(values[i])
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+	}
+	rotatingVal := make([]byte, 32<<10)
+	_, err = rng.Read(rotatingVal)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Keep several expired and live entries in the same old vlog file.
+	require.NoError(t, kv.Update(func(txn *Txn) error {
+		for i, val := range values {
+			key := []byte(fmt.Sprintf("mixed-%02d", i))
+			entry := NewEntry(key, val)
+			if i%2 == 0 {
+				entry = entry.WithTTL(-time.Hour)
+			}
+			if err := txn.SetEntry(entry); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	}))
+	require.NoError(t, kv.Update(func(txn *Txn) error {
+		return txn.SetEntry(NewEntry([]byte("rotating"), rotatingVal))
+	}))
+
+	fids := kv.vlog.sortedFids()
+	require.Len(t, fids, 2)
+
+	kv.vlog.filesLock.RLock()
+	lf := kv.vlog.filesMap[fids[0]]
+	kv.vlog.filesLock.RUnlock()
+
+	// Only the live entry should require an LSM lookup during rewrite.
+	clearAllMetrics()
+	require.NoError(t, kv.vlog.rewrite(lf))
+
+	totalGets := expvar.Get("badger_get_num_user")
+	require.NotNil(t, totalGets)
+	require.Equal(t, int64(mixedLiveEntryCount+extraLiveEntryCount), totalGets.(*expvar.Int).Value())
+
+	require.NoError(t, kv.View(func(txn *Txn) error {
+		for i, want := range values {
+			key := []byte(fmt.Sprintf("mixed-%02d", i))
+			item, err := txn.Get(key)
+			if i%2 == 0 {
+				require.Equal(t, ErrKeyNotFound, err)
+				continue
+			}
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			val := getItemValue(t, item)
+			require.Equal(t, want, val)
+		}
+		item, err := txn.Get([]byte("rotating"))
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		val := getItemValue(t, item)
+		require.Equal(t, rotatingVal, val)
+		return nil
+	}))
+}
+
 func (th *testHelper) readRange(from, to int) {
 	for i := from; i <= to; i++ {
 		err := th.db.View(func(txn *Txn) error {