SIR DIDI LEADS YANKS IN TWINS SLAY:

Yanks flub his name, but Gregorius making team forget all about Jeter

Didi Gregorius is already on pace for nearly 60 homers and 200 RBI this season, prompting the question: Derek who?

And while those stat projections won’t hold up over the course of the season, there’s no doubt he has performed at an MVP level this April. If only his team could spell his name correctly. In what was an e-gregious mistake, a promotional sign behind home plate for Didi Gregorius Bat Day on May 12 had his last name spelled “Gregious.”

“I saw that. I can’t fix that. There’s nothing I can do,” Gregorius said after recording three hits — including a homer and three RBI — in the Yankees’ 8-2 victory over the Twins on Tuesday night in The Bronx. “It’s all over Twitter. What can I say?”

Misspellings aside, perhaps the biggest takeaway from it all is this: No. 18 has made everyone stop missing No. 2.

“We don’t even bring him up anymore,” CC Sabathia said, referring to Marlins owner Derek Jeter. “Didi has been that good.”

Gregorius, who has never liked questions about replacing Jeter at shortstop anyway, got his work ethic from his parents, Johannes Sr. And Sheritsa Stroop, standout ballplayers in their own right.

“There’s never a satisfaction,” said Gregorius, who hails from Curaçao. “There’s always room to get better. That’s what they told me. Why try to slack off when you can work hard and get better?”

Gregorius continues to get better, transforming himself into one of the game’s best shortstops. Whether he’ll be a Yankee for the next several years, though, remains a question.

Gregorius, 28, can be a free agent after the 2019 season, and the Bombers could pursue Manny Machado, who plays the same position as Didi and is younger, this offseason. That could mean Gregorius changing positions or perhaps being dealt for more assets.

It could also mean Didi manning short between youngsters Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar for a long time as well — if the Yankees decide to stick with what they’ve got rather than shelling out $30-40 million a year over the next decade for Machado.

Gregorius certainly is making a strong case for himself. For Brian Cashman, it’s a good problem to have.

“If they sign me here, then yes (I’d love to stay),” Gregorius said. “If they don’t sign me, then there’s nothing I can do. I don’t care about the future. I’m just focused on right now, because I can’t control the future.”

In the now, Gregorius leads the majors with a 1.229 OPS. He’s already far exceeded expectations after replacing the Yankee Captain. Those boos he heard in April 2015 are ancient history now, replaced by chants of “Di-di! Di-di!” four seasons later.

The scouting community always loved his skillset. But he’s proven to be much more than just a plus defender — hitting lefties and drawing a ton of walks. He’s already had 15 of them — 22 shy of his career-high. And his line-drive swing is perfect for Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right. All eight of his homers have come in the friendly confines — along with 23 of his 27 RBI.

“He had to replace a legend,” one Yankee person said. “His mental makeup must just be extraordinary. He can make a bad play early in a game and then come up with a big hit later on.”

Gregorius moved into the cleanup spot and starred in 2017. And with Greg Bird out, he currently hits in the No. 3 hole between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

“I’m not looking at those numbers and all that stuff,” said Didi, who finished with 25 homers and 87 RBI a year ago despite missing a large chunk of time early due to a right shoulder injury.

Didi’s emergence has many talking about him making his first All-Star team in a loaded AL with shortstops like Machado, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa.

“I’m playing for my team. If I make it one time, then I make it one time.” Gregorius said. “It’s not up to me.”

The Yankees are just glad he’s on their side — a leader in the infield owning the strike zone, as well as opposing pitchers, then firing away emojis on Twitter after wins.

“He’s obviously in a pretty good place right now,” Aaron Boone said. Now, they just need to spell his name right.