Throughout a rain delay on Sunday, a video of Anthony Volpe performed on Yankee Stadium’s Jumbotron for the few hundred followers ready for the sport to begin.
Volpe, a shortstop, is the Yankees’ high prospect. He has been thriving at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since being promoted on Sept. 2, batting .379 with two house runs over seven video games. The new begin has left some questioning simply how a lot seasoning Volpe, 21, nonetheless wants earlier than moving into his assumed position because the Yankees’ shortstop of the long run.
For now, nonetheless, the injury-plagued Yankees have loads of depth within the infield. Third baseman Josh Donaldson just lately missed just a few video games on the paternity checklist, first baseman Anthony Rizzo is on the injured checklist because of complications and the versatile DJ LeMahieu lastly landed on the I.L. after making an attempt to work by means of a toe damage. However the staff has no scarcity of choices due to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera.
Kiner-Falefa, who had been the staff’s beginning shortstop, has spent a while at third base — the place he received a Gold Glove for Texas in 2020. Peraza, who like Volpe is a high shortstop prospect, has been holding that place down. And Cabrera, who has grow to be a fixture on spotlight reels due to his protection, has crammed an excellent utility position, spending time at second base, third base, shortstop and proper subject — and he’s studying first base.
Even the veteran Marwin Gonzalez has been useful regardless of a light-weight bat, taking part in each place besides middle subject and catcher this season.
LeMahieu, who performs second, third and first when wholesome, famous “that’s the way in which the sport’s going,” when requested about New York’s versatility. The Yankees can transfer items round, each to accommodate for accidents and to take advantage of matchups. Kiner-Falefa, in the meantime, stated that transferring across the diamond may be “powerful, however on the similar time, it provides you a chance. It provides you a chance to play extra, it provides you at-bats.”
Neither Peraza nor Cabrera has excelled with the bat since being known as up, although Cabrera hit his first house run in Sunday’s 10-4 win over Tampa Bay, which pushed the Yankees’ dwindling division lead again as much as 5 and a half video games. However even with modest offensive statistics to date, Cabrera and Peraza have injected some power into the Yankees at a time after they weren’t taking part in effectively.
“Each of them appeared very, very ready arising,” LeMahieu stated. “Aggressive, unfastened, no concern. It’s laborious to do while you simply get known as up. They’ve each added lots to our staff already, so it’s been nice watching them play.”
Cabrera’s means to play nearly any place — and play it effectively — has earned him loads of alternatives since he debuted on Aug. 17. After transferring across the infield shortly after his call-up, he has been in proper subject solely since Aug. 29, a stretch that overlaps with outfielder Andrew Benintendi touchdown on the I.L. with a wrist damage.
“I’m simply making an attempt to be taught essentially the most potential,” stated Cabrera, who had by no means performed the outfield or first base earlier than this season. “Once they want me on first base, I will probably be prepared.”
Whereas Cabrera’s excessive adaptability might assist him safe a future within the Bronx, Peraza’s standing as a pure shortstop has spurred short- and long-term questions on his match due to the looming query of what’s going to occur when Volpe is prepared.
A lot to the chagrin of some Yankees followers, Peraza has but to overhaul Kiner-Falefa on the shortstop depth chart, regardless that the latter joined the Yankees as a stopgap. Peraza has spent solely 111 skilled innings away from brief, together with 10 video games at second this season within the minors. However the Yankees have already got two established second basemen in LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres, a two-time All-Star who homered twice on Sunday.
Sooner or later there will probably be an odd man (or two) out, and Torres’s identify got here up in rumors earlier than and after this season’s Aug. 2 buying and selling deadline. LeMahieu, who hopes to return through the Yankees’ subsequent homestand, is signed although 2026.
Kiner-Falefa sees the writing on the wall by way of his position because the staff’s beginning shortstop. He has had a troublesome season on the plate — although he has delivered just a few large hits recently — and has drawn the ire of some followers for his protection, at the same time as many superior metrics point out he’s effectively above common within the subject. He’s not a free agent till 2024, which implies the Yankees might hold him in a utility position subsequent season even when Volpe or Peraza have been able to take over shortstop on a full-time foundation.
In that case, Kiner-Falefa says he can be fantastic in that position, offered the Yankees are succeeding.
“My factor is to only assist the staff win,” Kiner-Falefa stated. “If these guys come up, they usually play shortstop they usually make the staff higher, it’s what it’s. I’m right here to assist the staff win, so no matter they want me to do, so long as we’ve a profitable imaginative and prescient, it makes it lots simpler to maneuver round and be that form of participant. I feel we simply have to win and it makes all the things lots simpler.”