In the past few weeks, the once-heated New York Yankees’ third base battle, which had been at the forefront of their problems, has taken a back seat to the many injuries that have plunged the team into crisis. With DJ LeMahieu likely on the IL past Opening Day, the hot corner remains wide open.
For now, the frontrunner appears to be utility infielder/outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera. Cabrera has found little success at the plate in his three-year career. Over the span of 751 at-bats, Cabrera maintains a slash line of .233/.291/.352/.643 with 19 home runs. But this spring, Cabrera seems to be at the top of his game, hitting .333 with two home runs. While Cabrera’s performance seems compelling, the contest is not yet over.
Jorbit Vivas, who recently returned from injury, has impressed going 10-for-23 this spring though with no home runs. The Yankees’ No. 21 prospect is yet to play in a Major League game and has some defensive drawbacks at third thanks to his less-than-ideal arm strength, but his potential as a pure-hitter is intriguing.
And lastly, there is Oswald Peraza. Peraza was once the No. 52 prospect on MLB pipeline’s top 100 prospects list and was featured as one of the Yankees’ top five prospects three years straight. Unfortunately, it appears his future in pinstripes is hanging by a thread.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Oswald Peraza’s time as a Yankee appears to be coming to an end
Once considered a future star, Peraza is in danger of being DFA’d in the coming weeks. While the Yankees will clearly want to keep one of their most promising prospects in recent history, their hands appear to be tied. Peraza is out of minor-league options. He will need to make the Major League roster out of spring training to avoid being designated. This spring, Peraza has struggled posting a meager .194 batting average. And without hitting a single dinger thus far, it seems his once-lauded power potential is no longer a viable threat.
Peraza was called up in 2022 and has seen limited action in the majors every season since. While his performance in 2022 was very promising, consistent injuries have kept him off the field for extensive periods of time.
As of now, Peraza has a path to a roster spot as a backup infielder since DJ LeMahieu is still on the IL. But this remains a temporary opening. General manager Brian Cashman has indicated he is in the market for a right-handed bat. A trade for an infielder could easily push Peraza off the roster and onto the waiver wire. If that doesn’t happen, there is also the return of DJ LeMahieu, who has reportedly made promising progress in his recovery.
If Peraza is DFA’d, there is a chance he could remain a Yankee if he clears waivers. But since he was once a top prospect, chances are, another team would be more than happy to claim him.