The New York Yankees have missed the presence of infielder Oswald Peraza since he sustained a mild ankle sprain during an attempted stolen base on May 3. Luckily, the injury was not severe, and following his participation in defensive exercises last week, the promising prospect has made significant progress in his rehabilitation.
On Sunday, Peraza had a rehab game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he went 1-for-4, hitting a home run in his opening at-bat. He played six innings at shortstop before being strategically removed from the game.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke highly of the young infielder, emphasizing the need to observe him in minor league action before deciding on his potential promotion.
“Fortunately, the past couple of days have gone exceptionally well in terms of the exercises he’s been doing and his mobility,” Boone told the New York Post before the Yankees’ 8-7 loss to the Rays on Sunday. “So, we wanted to get him into a game and get that started. It’s great that he’s going to play today, get some at-bats, and start playing.”
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The Yankees certainly have a gem in Oswald Peraza:
With the anticipated return of Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees may face some challenging roster decisions, which could result in Peraza returning to the minors or potentially letting go of Aaron Hicks. However, Peraza is anticipated to be reinstated from the injured list early this week.
His season has not been as successful as the Yankees would have hoped, with a slash line of .188/.316/.219, no home runs, and two steals in 12 games. His OPS of .535 is somewhat disappointing, but his past performances show promise, and he remains one of the organization’s most valuable young players.
Regardless of whether or not he secures regular playing time with the Yankees, he is a valuable trade asset for the team, which currently has several areas that need to be addressed.