LeMahieu shaken by slump but plans to keep grinding

NEW YORK -- DJ LeMahieu says he feels healthy enough to perform. But as the veteran scuffles through a frustrating 0-for-17 stretch that has lowered his batting average to .177, his confidence has been shaken.

“It hasn’t given me much hope, the last month or so,” LeMahieu said on Sunday before the Yankees lost, 6-4, to the Rays at Yankee Stadium. “As long as I’ve played this game, whatever challenges have presented itself, I’ve always come out of it one way or another. So I’ll just keep showing up, keep working.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that LeMahieu has “earned” the right to continue fighting through his struggles, a nod to the 36-year-old’s decorated career, which includes a batting title in each league.

But LeMahieu’s numbers have been a shadow of their previous robust levels. He has managed 22 hits in 124 at-bats thus far, with only three extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 39 games.

“Just trying to work through it,” LeMahieu said. “It just hasn’t been very consistent. I feel like I’m onto something, and then I kind of go backwards a little bit, then I get on to something. The consistency hasn’t been there.”

Envisioned as the team’s leadoff hitter this past spring, LeMahieu has seen most of his time batting ninth. He was out of Sunday’s lineup, and Boone said “we’ll see” when asked if it could be a multigame absence.

“He is such a pro and has obviously been such a good hitter over the course of his career, over the course of his life,” Boone said. “He’s really grinding through some things right now.”

Signed to a six-year, $90 million contract before the 2021 season, LeMahieu is owed more than $30 million before he would be a free agent in 2027.

LeMahieu had high hopes coming into the season, with Boone boasting frequently about the work that he had been able to perform over the winter.

But LeMahieu fouled a ball off his right foot on March 16, and what was initially diagnosed as a bone bruise soon revealed to be a nondisplaced fracture that would delay his season debut until May 28.

Injuries have been a continuing theme for LeMahieu, who underwent a CT scan after fouling a ball off his neck on July 10 at Tropicana Field. The results were negative, but LeMahieu hasn’t had a hit since that game.

“Look, he’s definitely -- from an injury standpoint -- gotten beat up the last couple of years with different things,” Boone said. “I would put DJ in the category of being a very mentally strong player. You go through this stretch, and when you’ve been healthy, you’ve pretty much done nothing but hit in your career.

“You go through a [tough] stretch and that can weigh on you, walking up there with different thoughts. That can get you in trouble. That guy facing you, 60 feet 6 inches away, is usually really, really good.”

Oswaldo Cabrera started in place of LeMahieu on Sunday. With infielder Jon Berti recently experiencing a setback in his recovery from a left calf strain, it is possible that the Yankees will look to add a corner infielder ahead of the July 30 Trade Deadline.

“I know I definitely want to add as many good players as we can, because like I said, we’ve got a special group here,” LeMahieu said.