NEW YORK — Tyler White strode to the plate in the second inning, got ahead in the count 3-1 and still struck out. Given the slugger’s subpar season, the development during Wednesday’s game against Cincinnati surprised few.

How White coped with another inglorious instance in a season full of them told a different tale. The 28-year-old first baseman sought solace in the fact he saw six pitches from Reds starter Tyler Mahle. White laid off two close ones and fouled another. Pangs of fear did not creep into his head or threaten to torpedo any shot he had in the subsequent six innings.

“I wasn’t worried about ‘Aw, I struck out my first at-bat. What if I strike out every at-bat?’” White said Thursday.

“That’s something I’ve been good at in the past and that was hard this year. I was pressing and wanted to get a hit every at-bat because I felt like that’s what I needed to do. Eventually, I just calmed myself down and thought about having good at-bats and not worrying about the results.”

White knocked a double in the seventh inning, handling an inside four-seam fastball and sending it into the gap in left-center field. He’s doing both better lately — hitting fastballs and accruing extra bases — but whether either improvement can be sustained long enough to save his spot on the Astros’ roster is debatable.

“I’ve felt a lot better day in and day out recently,” White said. “(I’m) just confident and feeling good no matter who is pitching. I think the big thing is not really caring. You go up there, and you don’t really care who’s pitching. You look for your strengths and then make it get through an at-bat. That’s what I feel like I’ve been doing well.”

On June 5, after White finished 0-for-3 in a 13-run loss to the Mariners, his OPS was .581. White’s batting average neared .200, and his slugging percentage plummeted to .282. White grew more concerned with the opponent than himself.

“I feel like recently it’s just been ‘What does he have to get me out? What does his fastball look like?’ I go out, have an at-bat and swing at good pitches to hit,” White said. “It feels a lot more natural. I’m going up there to compete rather than just hoping for the best. I feel like I have the upper hand when I go up there rather than just, like, ‘Hope this works out for me.’”

For so long this year, White’s minimal production was masked by the powerful five or six names that preceded him in the batting order. Houston could stash him at the bottom of the lineup — if he even played at all — and hope for something to click.

“I’m not blaming it on not playing every day, but it makes it harder to be confident, and it makes it harder to keep a level head,” said White, whose reactions after his plate appearances grew more visceral as his slump prolonged.

Ire from fans was intense, too.

“I think it’s ridiculous some of the stuff that is said,” White said.

White’s fifth-inning grand slam during Sunday’s 9-4 win over the Yankees continued a commendable June. Among the Astros, White’s .881 OPS this month ranks behind only Yordan Alvarez and Robinson Chirinos. Eight of White’s last 14 hits have garnered extra bases.

For much of the season, fastballs flummoxed White. According to BaseballSavant, more than 64 percent of the pitches he sees are fastballs. In April, he swung and missed at a 29.5 percent clip against them. In May, he slugged just .211 on the rare occasion he put one in play

Since June started, White has a .575 slugging percentage against fastballs. His whiff rate is down more than 10 percent from April, and his average exit velocity on fastballs is 92.3 mph. In May, it was 83.3.

“I feel like I’ve been more apt to putting the ball in play when I swing. I think that’s where I want to be,” White said. “I know when I’m good I can swing (at) any heater in the zone, any fastball in the zone, and have a chance to hit it hard somewhere. I think I hit the ball on a line pretty well. So it’s just getting off a good swing and putting the ball in play when I take a swing at a pitch that I can hit.”

Alvarez’s arrival from the minor leagues ended any everyday time White received at designated hitter. A setback during Aledmys Diaz’s rehabilitation from a left hamstring strain was White’s saving grace.

Diaz’s absence leaves no first baseman to back up Yuli Gurriel. The Astros do not feel confident in Alvarez’s ability to play first base, so White fills the void. Because Carlos Correa remains out, Alex Bregman is asked to play shortstop, and Gurriel goes to third. White, in turn, has started 12 straight games at first base, amassing a .984 OPS in 50 plate appearances.

But on a healthy Houston roster, one with Diaz and Correa, it is difficult to rationalize a role for White. The former 33rd-round draft pick is out of minor league options. Should the Astros decide to drop White, he’d be placed on outright waivers, giving any of the other 29 teams a shot to claim him.

“It’s nothing that I can control and something I don’t pay any attention to,” White said of outside chatter about his season. “I’ve been here since 2016 now, up and down for four years, and I feel like I’ve had a good role on this team at certain points. Last year, finally snuck into a starting position late and really helped this team. I feel like I did my part, for the most part, in my four years here, and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”

chandler.rome@chron.com

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