Of the New York Yankees few glaring weak spots, none has been more conspicuous than third base. The hot corner has been a revolving door that has seen Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas and Pablo Reyes come and go in a cycle of injury and replacement. This list might soon be complemented with DJ LeMahieu, who will likely see action at third when Jazz Chisholm Jr. returns.
Unfortunately, these current options are yet to produce. Yankees’ third baseman have combined to hit .199 with two home runs (when playing third). This problem is only exacerbated by Cabrera’s injury. LeMahieu hasn’t fared much better, hitting .211 with one home run since his return.
Spectators and analysts alike believe the Yankees will be active on the trade market as they were over the offseason. This may very well be true, but a contingency plan may already be ahead of schedule in Triple-A.
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Catching prospect Jesus Rodriguez is swinging a hot bat while splitting time as a third baseman
Yankees’ no. 30 prospect, Jesus Rodriguez, has been at the top of his game in the Yankees’ farm system this year, hitting .321/.406/.409 with one home run. Rodriguez, who maintains a career .312 batting average in the Minors, has spent most of his professional career as a backstop but was given experience at first base, second base, third base and left field.
At a glance, it would seem Rodriguez has the makings of a flexible utilityman. However, his defense has been stretched at every position except first. His MLB pipeline scouting report thoroughly details his struggles:
“He moves OK but he struggles as a receiver and has just average arm strength, which resulted in six passed balls, seven errors and 59 steals in 24 games as a backstop in 2024. First base may be his most viable option because he lacks range in left field, struggles with the speed of the game at third base and doesn't have the quickness for second.”
Strangely, Rodriguez is yet to play at first base this season. Despite his defensive woes, he has been used exclusively as a third baseman and catcher when fielding a position (5 games as a DH). It isn’t unlike the Yankees to try developing a player at a position he isn’t well suited for. Should this experiment pay off as similar experiments have in the past (Chisholm at third last season), the Yankees could potentially add Rodriguez to their MLB-ready infield depth sometime soon if necessary. The 23-year-old backstop was promoted to Triple-A this season.