Jon Berti made his first rehab appearance since hitting the IL in June, and with the Yankees’ infield issues (especially against LHP), they could desperately use the support. He lined a single through left field and also smoked a three-run home run in three trips to the plate, looking very healthy after months of being sidelined. A speedy infielder with great defensive skills, the Yankees could rover him around their infield as they continue to search for options to stabilize a group that has underwhelmed at second base and first base.
The addition of Jazz Chisholm has filled their hole at third base, but Berti could take reps from DJ LeMahieu when he returns.
The Return of Jon Berti Could Help Struggling Yankees’ Infield
His numbers on the season aren’t overly impressive, sporting an 87 wRC+ with a .322 OBP through his first 17 games with the Yankees, but they got better as the season went on. Berti hit the IL in April but upon his return in May, he started to look like the hitter we saw in Miami last year, hitting .306 with a 116 wRC+ before an unfortunate injury against the San Diego Padres would sideline him for nearly three months.
A setback further delayed his rehab assignment, and there’s a chance that he would have already been back with the team had it not been for that issue. He’s not a power hitter nor does he have a myriad of stellar offensive tools that would lead you to believe he’s anything more than a mediocre bat, but that might be enough to help this infield. Defensively and on the basepaths Jon Berti is extremely valuable, and considering how abysmal Gleyber Torres has been with the glove, he could lose playing time if the bat doesn’t remain hot.
Jon Berti has +8 DRS and +3 OAA at third base while having +4 DRS and +4 OAA at shortstop in his career, and he’s even been able to play the corner outfield effectively. His overall versatility is highly valuable given how well he can handle various positions in the infield and outfield, and if he can get on a roll and hit the way he did in 2023, the Yankees could potentially have him win the second base job come October.
At the very least, he’s a defensive substitution with excellent baserunning skills, and for a slow team that can struggle to complete some defensive plays in the infield, that could be very valuable in late-game situations. We’ve seen Clay Holmes run into tough luck during some blown saves due to the infield botching some plays, and perhaps having someone like Berti slot in at third base and shuffling Jazz back to second in the ninth inning could fix that.
Oswaldo Cabrera’s solid bat against RHP could also create something of a platoon situation between the switch-hitting utilityman and Berti, but that role would again have to ice out Gleyber Torres. Given how well he’s done as their leadoff hitter as of late, sporting a .417 OBP since slotting into that spot against Detroit, it’s hard to imagine that they’d completely pull the plug on his season.