Yankees: 3 roster moves keeping New York from World Series contention

2 of 3

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 22: Estevan Florial #90 of the New York Yankees runs to first during the fifth inning of Game Two of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on May 22, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

2. Call up Estevan Florial

Like Schmidt, Estevan Florial has tumbled down the prospect charts for the Yankees in recent years. He was MLB.com’s #44 overall prospect entering the 2018 season but now, he’s all the way down to #23 in the Yankees system. Part of it has been due to injuries but also, he had struggled at the plate. That hasn’t been the case this year, though.

In Triple-A, Florial is hitting .283/.360/.487 with 14 home runs, 37 RBI, and 32 stolen bases.

With Miguel Andujar being lackluster at the plate in general, Aaron Hicks struggling lately (.164 AVG, .479 OPS in his last 24 games entering Wednesday), new acquisition Andrew Benintendi struggling, and Matt Carpenter hitting the IL, the Yankees could use a bit of a jolt in the outfield.

Even if they don’t play him every day (which is fine), he adds an element of speed. As we mentioned, he has 32 stolen bases. That’s only in 85 games. The only Yankees with double-digit stolen bases are Isaiah Kiner-Falefa (15) and Aaron Judge (11). Florial would add that important component of a good bench, especially in the postseason: speed.

Home/New York Yankees