diff --git a/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/FileSystemProvider.cs b/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/FileSystemProvider.cs
index 893cade7a..612d7f04d 100644
--- a/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/FileSystemProvider.cs
+++ b/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/FileSystemProvider.cs
@@ -1953,7 +1953,10 @@ namespace Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands
         {
             if (instance?.BaseObject is FileSystemInfo fileInfo)
             {
-                if (InternalSymbolicLinkLinkCodeMethods.IsReparsePointLikeSymlink(fileInfo))
+                // Checking the cached attributes first avoids an extra filesystem query for every non-link,
+                // which is particularly expensive when formatting items on an SMB share.
+                if (InternalSymbolicLinkLinkCodeMethods.IsReparsePoint(fileInfo)
+                    && InternalSymbolicLinkLinkCodeMethods.IsReparsePointLikeSymlink(fileInfo))
                 {
                     return $"{PSStyle.Instance.FileInfo.SymbolicLink}{fileInfo.Name}{PSStyle.Instance.Reset} -> {fileInfo.LinkTarget}";
                 }
diff --git a/test/powershell/Modules/Microsoft.PowerShell.Management/Get-Item.Tests.ps1 b/test/powershell/Modules/Microsoft.PowerShell.Management/Get-Item.Tests.ps1
index 4ddceaa68..977906790 100644
--- a/test/powershell/Modules/Microsoft.PowerShell.Management/Get-Item.Tests.ps1
+++ b/test/powershell/Modules/Microsoft.PowerShell.Management/Get-Item.Tests.ps1
@@ -237,6 +237,18 @@ Describe 'Formatting for FileInfo objects' -Tags 'CI' {
         $dir.NameString | Should -BeExactly "$($PSStyle.FileInfo.Directory + $dir.Name + $PSStyle.Reset)"
     }
 
+    It 'NameString should not query link metadata for a cached non-reparse point' -Skip:(-not $IsWindows) {
+        $testFile = Join-Path -Path $TestDrive -ChildPath 'cached-metadata'
+        $file = New-Item -ItemType File -Path $testFile
+        $null = $file.Attributes
+
+        # Removing the file makes an unnecessary second filesystem query observable.
+        [System.IO.File]::Delete($testFile)
+
+        # Without the cached-attributes check, NameString queries the deleted path for link metadata and throws.
+        [Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.FileSystemProvider]::NameString($file) | Should -BeExactly $file.Name
+    }
+
     It 'Executable should have correct color' {
         if ($IsWindows) {
             $exePath = Join-Path -Path $TestDrive -ChildPath 'myExe.exe'