Since the New York Yankees refuse to call up Oswald Peraza from Triple-A Scranton, they may consider reuniting with an old friend, Didi Gregorius.
Gregorius was released by the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday morning, of course sparking a frenzy on social media from Yankee fans. During his time wearing pinstripes, Gregorius was a fan favorite, enjoying some incredibly productive seasons.
Should the Yankees consider bringing back Didi Gregorius after being released?
However, those days are long behind him at 32 years old, hosting a .210 average and 26% on base rate this season with Philadelphia. He’s hit just one homer with 19 RBIs in 63 games but still hosts a 15.5% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate.
Unfortunately, Gregorius is not living up to his offensive potential, featuring a 57 wRC+, indicating he is 43% worse than the average player.
Defensively, Gregorius has spent 506 innings at shortstop with the Phillies this season, hosting a .991 fielding percentage with 28 double plays turned, and +3.6 error runs above average.
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However, Didi does host a -6 defensive run saved above average, indicating he’s been a net-negative to the team despite a great fielding percentage. Alternatively, the Yankees have been rolling with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who struggled considerably on offense but hosts much better numbers than Gregorius nonetheless.
IKF hosts a .275 average with an 31.7% on-base rate, including a 13.6% strikeout rate and 5.1% walk rate. While he makes a ton of contact, it’s normally weak. He has tallied 16 doubles this season, showcasing decent speed on the base paths, stealing 15 bases over 96 games.
From a pure analytical standpoint, IKF offers far more than Gregorius offensively. The former Yankee might be a better defender at the end of the day, but he doesn’t make sense at this time, given the production of Oswald Peraza.
Peraza has been on an absolute tear this season, featuring a .256 average with a 32.7% off-base rate. In fact, over the last 28 days, he’s earned a .301 average with a 36% on-base rate, four homers, and 12 RBIs. A slow start to the season dragged his numbers down, but he’s been unbelievable over the past two months. He should have the first crack at shortstop if the Yankees decide to shake things up in the infield.