New York Yankees' All-Star Finally Breaking Out of Slump

Despite the New York Yankees struggles in July, two of their most important hitters are starting to produce again.

The more obvious of these two is Giancarlo Stanton, who’s found his power stroke again by bashing six homers in his last 10 games. However, another key veteran is starting to turn things around: DJ LeMahieu.

On July 6, LeMahieu’s season slash line was .219/.286/.357, a truly concerning line for a two-time batting champion. Even today, his season totals are very uncharacteristic of him. After drawing 73 and 67 walks in 2021 and a shortened 2022, LeMahieu’s plate discipline has regressed significantly, with only 26 walks so far. He currently has 76 strikeouts, already surpassing his 2022 total, which is especially alarming considering LeMahieu’s reputation as a contact hitter who puts the ball in play. In June, he hit only .172 with a .226 on-base percentage.

Since the All-Star break, however, LeMahieu has shown signs of improvement. He’s gotten a hit in seven of eight games so far, and his slash line is now .232/.295/.373. This still isn’t good, but that is a noticeable increase from his low point on July 6.

Over his last 11 games, LeMahieu is 13-for-40, a .325 clip. Over the past seven games, he has an OPS of .890.

There have been many encouraging signs during LeMahieu’s hot streak. On July 14 and 15 against the Rockies, LeMahieu had multi-hit games; the latter saw him pound out three hits, including two doubles. On July 17 against the Angels, LeMahieu came off the bench in the ninth and not only singled, but capitalized on shoddy defense by taking an extra base (although unfortunately, the offense stranded him). The fact that most of these hits were to the opposite field is very LeMahieu-like as well.

But the most encouraging sign came on Saturday against the Royals, when LeMahieu drilled a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, the decisive blow in a 5-2 Yankee win. He punished a Carlos Hernandez fastball on the outer half of the plate, hitting it 402 feet to right field with a 104.4 mph exit velocity. LeMahieu isn’t a power hitter, but the home run (his first in over a month) perfectly encapsulated his hitting style; a hard smash to the opposite field.

All of a sudden, DJ LeMahieu is hitting .325 (13-for-40) in his last 11 games. That’s progress.

This was his first home run since June 13, a solid thump to the opposite field which is always a great sign. pic.twitter.com/RELO8eeFDK
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) July 22, 2023

It’s unknown if new hitting coach Sean Casey has contributed to LeMahieu’s recent success, but since the All-Star break, LeMahieu is picking up the pieces and rediscovering what made him a great hitter in the past. If he and Stanton continue to hit well, perhaps the Yankees can reestablish themselves as a threat in the playoff race.