The New York Yankees are gearing up to face off against the Boston Red Sox in the final game of a four-game series on Sunday night.
With Nestor Cortés on the mound, the Bombers have arguably their best starting pitcher of the season to help stifle a struggling Boston squad. On the other side of the mound, the Red Sox will host Brayan Bello as their starting pitcher, recording a 4.75 ERA over 47.1 innings pitched this year. He’s only given up one homer this season, so star slugger Aaron Judge might have to wait until the Yankees get into Boston’s bullpen before launching one out of the park.
Having won six consecutive games, the Yankees are giving a few players a day off for the final game of the series. Notably, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Josh Donaldson, and Giancarlo Stanton will all sit on Sunday.
Aaron Judge will feature as the team’s designated hitter, receiving a reduced role as he pushes toward his 61st homer of the season. In his place, Oswaldo Cabrera will feature in right field and Aaron Hicks will take over in left.
Cabrera has picked things up offensively as of late, posting a .350 average with a 45.8% on-base rate and 1.358 OPS over his last seven days. He’s tallied three homers with nine RBIs in that time frame. On the season, Cabrera is hitting .231 with a 30% on-base rate, including a .402 slugging percentage, four homers, 17 RBIs, and 12 walks.
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The Yankees will give Oswald Peraza the start at SS on Sunday:
In place of IKF, Oswald Peraza will get the start, who has started his professional career in great shape. Defensively, he has been stout and has provided plenty of value on the offensive side. He’s hitting .250 with a 38% on-base rate over 25 at-bats in the month of September. He’s also tallied six hits with three walks, striking out just four times.
If not for IKF stepping up and providing stellar offensive play this month, there might have been a real conversation for Peraza to steal playing time, however, he has simply been utilized as a reserve to mitigate fatigue down the stretch.
Oswald’s strong start indicates he could have a bigger role in 2023 or, at the very least, be leveraged in a trade scenario.