Oswald Peraza will get his chances to play, Aaron Boone says
Yankees SS Oswald Peraza makes a play on the ball hit by the Orioles' Chris Owings in the bottom of the third inning at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on March 19. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees’ promotion of Oswald Peraza wasn’t just about getting one of their top prospects a taste of life in the big leagues.
Though the 22-year-old shortstop wasn’t in Friday night’s lineup as the Yankees began a three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field, Aaron Boone said he will get his chances.
“It’ll be fluid,” Boone said. “He’ll get some opportunities. How much he plays, how well he’s doing, those kind of things, we’ll continue to weigh that as we move forward. We’ll just keep it fluid. Will probably try to get him in there [Saturday]. But we’re trying to win. Hopefully he can be a part of that.”
Peraza batted for DJ LeMahieu and struck out on three pitches to end the Yankees' 9-0 loss to the Rays.
Though capable of playing second, Peraza has played primarily shortstop in the minors and the Yankees very much see him long-term at that position. For that reason, when the news of Peraza’s promotion broke Thursday, Boone felt the need to talk with Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
“I did talk to Izzy,” Boone said. “Izzy’s such a big part of what we’re doing, and I expect him to continue to be right in the middle of everything we’re doing. The best thing about Isiah is he wants to win, and he’ll do anything it takes. He’ll be prepared and he’s going to continue to play a lot.”
Could Peraza play himself into a starting role? “We’ll see how the month unfolds,” Boone said. “He’ll get some opportunities, but I don’t want to put any undue expectations on him. This is a great opportunity for him to get up here in this environment and hopefully be another step in his development.”
Kiner-Falefa, though solid and at times spectacular in the field, has made a team-high 12 errors, including a costly one Wednesday that preceded a three-run homer by Shohei Ohtani.
Errors often are an incomplete if misleading statistic in evaluating a fielder — and the Yankees have internal numbers they will cite that suggest Kiner-Falefa has had a better season defensively than it seems — but there is some behind-the-scenes disappointment organizationally with his performance in the field.
Kiner-Falefa has been merely OK at the plate, hitting .261 with a .310 on-base percentage and one home run in 117 games entering Friday.
The righty-hitting Peraza has played his usual standout defense in Triple-A this season and also has demonstrated a bit of pop that not everyone saw coming. He hit .259 but with 19 homers and a .778 OPS in 386 at-bats and 99 games. This after some struggles to start the season (he hit .197 in April and .216 in May).
“Got off to a rough start and he didn’t panic and a lot of guys do in that situation as a hyped [prospect],” said one rival AL talent evaluator who has consistently seen Peraza play throughout the season. “Just a really good player. Solid hitter, really solid defender. Has great hands and throws accurately . . . plays with good composure. Doesn’t seem to get rattled.”
Peraza, not surprisingly, was thrilled when he was pulled from Thursday night’s game with Scranton and told he would be joining the Yankees in Florida. He said his first phone call after hearing of his promotion was to his mother.
“You’re short for words when you hear that you’re finally going to the big leagues and you might have an opportunity to play short for the Yankees,” Peraza said through his interpreter Friday afternoon in the visitor’s clubhouse at Tropicana Field. “Short for words to explain how I felt in the moment; thinking about the path and all the different levels to get here. Playing this sport since I was a little kid . . . yeah, it was very exciting.”
