Yankees manager confirms infielder will miss big chunk of the season

Yankees infielder Oswald Peraza has been diagnosed with a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder, manager Aaron Boone told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and other reporters.  Peraza will be shut down for the next six to eight weeks for further evaluation.

Peraza recently missed 10 days of spring training due to discomfort in his shoulder, and returned to action to play in two games earlier this week before he was sidelined again due to continued soreness.  The infielder received an MRI and other tests over the last two days, and the unfortunate result is that Peraza will now miss a big chunk of the season.  In the best-case scenario that Peraza is able to return to baseball activity in just six weeks, he’ll still need to properly ramp up and make up for his lost spring prep time, so late May might be the most optimistic possible recovery timeline.

Ranked as a top-70 prospect heading into each of the last two seasons, Peraza made his big league debut in 2022 and impressed with a .306/.404/.429 slash line in 57 plate appearances.  He took a big step back (.191/.267/.272) in the larger sample size of 191 PA last season, though Peraza spent the majority of his season at Triple-A due to the somewhat crowded nature of New York’s infield.  Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres had the middle infield positions covered, and Peraza received most of his playing time as a third baseman once DJ LeMahieu primarily moved to first base in place of the injured Anthony Rizzo.

Defense has never been much of an issue for Peraza, as he is considered a very strong fielder at multiple infield positions.  This has led to some speculation that Peraza could even eventually supplant Volpe (last year’s AL Gold Glove winner) at shortstop, but the Yankees seem locked in on Volpe as their shortstop of the future.  Since Torres and Rizzo could both be free agents next winter, plenty of space might soon open up in the infield for Peraza to step in as the new regular second baseman or third baseman, though naturally the first order of business is just to have a healthy and productive 2024 season.

It wasn’t clear if Peraza would even start this season on the 26-man roster, as the Yankees have recently been searching the market for a veteran backup infielder who could handle shortstop as Volpe’s backup.  Finding such a player to pair with Oswald Cabrera or Jahmai Jones in a backup capacity would allow the Yankees to play Peraza at Triple-A on an everyday basis, and the team’s desire for experienced bench depth is even more pronounced now that Peraza will miss the better part of two to three months.

Jeter Downs, Kevin Smith, Jordan Groshans and Josh VanMeter are currently in New York’s camp on non-roster deals.  Jorbit Vivas (acquired from the Dodgers along with Victor Gonzalez in December) is an interesting prospect who is lacking in Triple-A experience, let alone any playing time as a big leaguer.  Looking at the names remaining in free agency, players like Donovan Solano or Hanser Alberto could be theoretical fits, even if they aren’t really options as a backup shortstop.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested earlier that the Yankees might seek out players who become available later in spring training, either via roster cuts or due to opt-outs in pre-existing minor league contracts.