Boone sticking with LeMahieu despite slump: 'He's earned that'

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is planning on continuing to pencil infielder DJ LeMahieu into the lineup despite the veteran's struggles at the plate this season.

LeMahieu was hitless in three at-bats with a pair of strikeouts in Saturday's 9-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, dropping his average to .177 on the season.

"We've got to find out and keep running him out there," Boone said Saturday, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. "He's earned that, and with where we are right now roster-wise, we've got to give him that opportunity to lock in. And if we can do that, then we know we've got a really good hitter on our hands."

The 36-year-old is hitting .168 with a .438 OPS over his last 30 games. He missed almost two months of action to start the season with a right foot contusion.

LeMahieu has two years and $30 million remaining on a six-year, $90-million contract he signed ahead of the 2021 campaign.