PHILADELPHIA — DJ LeMahieu may not be done yet.
The slumping infielder got a rare start Wednesday and something of a vote of confidence from general manager Brian Cashman — and then went out and hit a grand slam in the top of the second against Philadelphia lefty Christopher Sanchez.
It was LeMahieu’s second homer of what’s been a rough season in which he’s become primarily a defensive replacement for Ben Rice at first, especially after the arrival of Jazz Chisholm Jr. to play third base.
“He has struggled,’’ Cashman said in a conference call prior to the game. “He’s fighting through it.”
That’s putting it mildly.
LeMahieu entered the game, starting at first and batting eighth, with two hits and three walks in his previous 37 plate appearances.
His slugging percentage sat at just .216 before his homer, which became official after a video review and gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
The Yankees held a 4-3 edge entering the sixth inning.
LeMahieu dealt with a non-displaced fracture in his foot earlier this season and hasn’t hit well since, which isn’t good considering he’s under contract through the end of 2026 and owed more than $30 million.
“I think it’s in there,” Cashman said of LeMahieu’s offense. “There’s opportunity for him to grind through it. I know he’s a pro. No one can predict the future when and where and how. I know he’s searching for it. I think there’s a role for him to play while we’re going through it.”
And despite slumping for much of last year, Cashman pointed to LeMahieu’s performance in the final month-plus, when he produced a bit more at the plate, with an .812 OPS over his last 44 games.
“I thought he did a lot of work to get himself back in a place that would allow him to be closer to what we’re used to seeing on the offensive profile and another injury hit,’’ Cashman said of the most recent foot injury. “I can’t speak to where he’s at and how close he can be. I know he’s doing what he needs to do. I feel disappointed for him and the fact injuries have derailed what looked like a relaunch of getting him back on track after having a great spring.”
Aaron Boone said there will be “opportunities” to get LeMahieu in the lineup.
“Hopefully he continues to get opportunities and gets it going,” Boone said. “Ben Rice has done a really nice job against righties and bringing in Jazz complicates things from an infield standpoint, but there are opportunities there. Hopefully we can find a good combination.”