NEW YORK (AP) — DJ LeMahieu’s batting average is down to .177, less than half his .364 when earning his second batting title in 2020.
“It’s not something I’m used to,” he said Sunday. “Personally, not very fun.”
Hitless in 17 at-bats, LeMahieu was out of the New York Yankees’ starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Fans booed him in recent days.
“Just frustrating,” he said. “Just hasn’t been very consistent. I feel like I’m onto something and then kind of go backwards a little bit.”
A three-time All-Star, LeMahieu turned 36 on July 13. He struggled following a broken sesamoid bone in his right big toe that led to ligament damage in his second toe in 2022. He hit .220 in the first half last year but .273 in the second. Then he broke his right foot when he fouled off a pitch during a spring training game this past March 16, delaying his season debut until May 28.
He has three doubles, no homers and 11 RBIs in 124 at-bats and his ground-ball percentage is a career high 59.2%, up from 52% in his last healthy season in 2021.
“Feel good,” he said. “Feel good enough to do my job.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone started Oswaldo Cabrera at third base on Sunday and wasn’t sure whether he would give LeMahieu additional days off.
“He is such a pro and and obviously been such a good hitter over the course of his career, over the course of his life, and a very mentally and physically tough guy, so feel like he’s equipped to handle things and deal with things,” Boone said.
LeMahieu led the major leagues in hitting with Colorado in 2016 and again with the Yankees in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He is a career .290 hitter with a .763 OPS, making his drop to a .471 OPS this year all the more shocking.
He has two full seasons remaining in a $90 million, six-year contract that pays $15 million annually. New York could make a move to add a third baseman before the trade deadline on July 30.
“I’m not going to speak on that,” LeMahieu said. “I definitely want to add as many good players as we can.”
His average was an already low .206 before the slump, impacting his confidence.
“Hasn’t given me much hope the last month or so, but as long as I played this game, whatever challenge has presented itself I’ve always come out of it one way or another,” he said. “So I just keep showing up, keep working and that’s gotten me a lot of success.”
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