Last week, the New York Yankees called up top shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza from the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yanks’ Triple-A affiliate.
The move was long overdue and well-received by fans.
However, the team is not deploying him on an everyday basis despite Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the starting shortstop, being a liability.
Manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman, and owner Hal Steinbrenner are all under scrutiny for not playing Peraza more often.
He was, however, part of the starting lineup for Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins.
He entered the day with eight plate appearances with no hits or walks: just a hit-by-pitch had his OBP at .125.
But there is always a first time, they said.
Oswald Peraza with his first big league hit‼️ pic.twitter.com/5pvyAuFJjI
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 7, 2022
His First Career Hit Was A Well-Hit Double To Left Field
In the bottom of the third inning, Peraza produced a line drive towards left field that resulted in a double.
That’s right: his first MLB career hit went for extra bases: it was a two-bagger.
It will be the first of many hits for the talented 22-year-old infielder, who hit 19 home runs and stole 33 bases in Triple-A before getting the call.
He is seen as the Yankees’ third-best prospect, after Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez, and was deemed untouchable in trade talks leading to the deadline.
Hopefully, the Yankees can realize that there is just too much upside to play Kiner-Falefa over Peraza, and that the former is best suited as a utility infielder.
Peraza’s offensive upside is superior, and he is better with the glove too: since he is up already, there is really no reason for him to ride the bench in detriment of an inferior alternative.
