March 12th, 2024: Peraza, Judge, Beeter, Warren, Poteet, Stanton, Wells, Hamilton

This Juan Soto guy, he’s good at baseball. The regular season needs to start already. I don’t want him wasting any more of these 447-foot home runs (video) in games that don’t count. Where do you think the Yankees will trade him at the deadline? Mariners maybe? Blue Jays? (I kid, I kid.) Let’s get today’s post as we await Gerrit Cole’s MRI results.

1. Peraza shut down 6-8 weeks. Oswald Peraza’s right shoulder tightness turned into “pinching,” and now it’s turned into 6-8 weeks on the shelf. He has a subscapularis strain, the Yankees announced over the weekend. It’s actually a 6-8 week shutdown period, so we’re looking at a good 10-12 weeks before Peraza is ready to play in games, if not longer. See you in June, Oswald (maybe).

“In some ways it was okay news in that the capsule and everything was okay,” Aaron Boone told Mark Sanchez. “So it seems like it is just going to be this shutdown period that’s obviously going to cost him some season. But still there’s a lot in front of him in this season.”

For Peraza, the injury takes him off the field for a good chunk of time during a really important season. It might even be a make or break year for him, at least in terms of his future with the Yankees. He’s only 23, but Peraza hasn’t shown much in the big leagues and he doesn’t have a clear path to playing time even at full health. He needs to capitalize on any opportunity he’s given, and now 10-12 weeks of opportunity is gone.

“I want to give everything I have for the team, but there’s certain things I can’t control. I’m really devastated about this,” Peraza told Max Goodman. “... I’m frustrated about it. I was feeling good and of course wanted to make the team, whether it was starting or on the bench. But unfortunately there are some things I can’t control. This is one of them. I’m just going to fight my way back to a normal state.”

With Peraza down, Oswaldo Cabrera is the top backup shortstop candidate, and as much as like the guy, that ain’t great. Jorbit Vivas played three innings at short in his career prior to Sunday (all in Low-A in 2021), then he played seven innings at short between Sunday and Monday. No harm trying it in Spring Training, but Vivas has barely played in Triple-A (and he didn’t hit there) and he’s not really a shortstop. Not sure he’s a legit backup shortstop option.

The Yankees made a run at Enrique Hernández earlier this month (supposedly they tried for Amed Rosario too), so they’re looking to upgrade the bench, and I’m sure they’ll ramp up those efforts now. At this point the opt out market is their best bet. Free agency is barren and you don’t see many Spring Training trades involving viable big leaguers. The odds someone who is not currently in the organization is on the Opening Day bench are very high.

I went through a few bench candidates last week. I didn’t realize Jose Iglesias is in camp with the Mets on a minor league contract. He could be an option. Now 34, Iglesias slashed .317/.356/.537 (108 wRC+) in 28 games with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate last season. His defense has slipped with age and he’s never been much of a hitter, but Iglesias might be the best freely available backup shortstop out there.

Another possibility: Andrew Velazquez. He’s in camp with the Braves and is behind Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher on their backup infielder depth chart. Guillorme is on the 40-man roster and out of options (and the better player). Fletcher is owed $6M in 2024 and $14M from 2024-26. Velazquez looks ticketed for Triple-A. Does he have an opt out in his minor league deal? If yes, he could return home to the Bronx.

In the short-term, Peraza’s injury will cost him playing time and leave the Yankees scrambling for bench help. In the long-term, who really knows? It doesn’t seem great for Peraza’s future with the Yankees and things on that front haven’t seemed great for a while, but this will all be forgotten if he plays well when he returns. Get well soon, Oswald. Still got a big year ahead of you. It’ll just start a little later than expected.

2. Grapefruit League observations. Friday I said I’d like to see some signs of life from DJ LeMahieu, who started the spring 1-for-12. He then punched a single to right in his first at-bat that afternoon, and doubled down the right field line in his second at-bat. He’s 4-for-8 since the last post. Thank you, DJ. I vow to use my powers only for good. Here are a few thoughts on the last few Grapefruit League games.

Judge’s spring

Oh by the way, Aaron Judge is hurt too. “Mid-spring beat up” is how Aaron Boone described it. That of course came one day after Judge exited Sunday’s game 2-3 innings and 1-2 at-bats earlier than the other regulars, after which Boone (and Judge) insisted all is well, and that it was a planned short day. All is not well. Judge is “mid-spring beat up” and won’t play until Wednesday at the earliest.

“He’s a little mid-spring beat up with all the work they do in the cage and the back fields,” Boone told Bryan Hoch. “... One thing I think Aaron has gotten really, really good at the last few years is managing the nicks and looking at the minor things that he deals with throughout the year. He governs and protects himself really well.”

Look, players get banged up and tweak things, and there’s no reason to push it in the second week of March, especially with a player as important as Judge. But don’t tell me he’s okay after the game Sunday and then surprise, he’s actually banged up before the game Monday. The Yankees constantly do this. They downplay every injury, and because of that, they have no credibility. You can’t believe a word they say.

I feel like I’m pleading with a child here. Just tell the truth. Lying only makes it worse. Just say “Judgie’s dealing with some soreness and we’re just being careful with him.” That’s it. It sucks, but I’d understand, and that's the end of it. Instead, we get lies, and I'm writing about lies instead of baseball. I don’t trust the Yankees that this is a minor issue. (How can you believe them when they say Gerrit Cole’s MRI is precautionary and the concern level is low?)

Judge is 2-for-14 (.143) this spring, and both hits came in his first game. He is 0-for-12 with five strikeouts since. And I don’t care? Not worried at all about Judge baseball-wise. I just want him to be healthy, and as long as he is healthy, I assume he’ll be fine. Hopefully whatever Judge is dealing with truly is minor, and he’ll be back Wednesday. Unfortunately, I can’t take the Yankees at their word with injuries. Sigh.

Rotation auditions begin

With Opening Day a little more than two weeks away, it’s hard to believe Cole will be ready to make that start no matter what the MRI says. MRIs are usually followed by a shutdown period even when they bring back good news, and I’m sure the Yankees will handle their $324M ace very carefully. Count on Cole starting the season on the injured list. It is what it is.

So, with Cole out, auditions for the open rotation spot began in earnest Monday, and Clayton Beeter and Will Warren were first up. Beeter faced the Phillies in Clearwater and Warren faced the Orioles in Tampa. The pitching lines:

• Beeter: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (video)
• Warren: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K

Warren allowed a run without a ball leaving the infield – replays showed the runner was out on the two-out, run-scoring infield single – though he didn’t do himself any favors. He went to a three-ball count to four of the 14 batters he faced and was behind in the count all afternoon. The O’s didn’t send many regulars on the road trip either. It was definitely a bend but don’t break outing for Warren.

That said, you could see how everything works for Warren. Mid-90s four-seamers and sinkers, a slider that averaged 3,029 rpm of spin, whiffs on four different pitch types, and an 85.3 mph average exit velocity allowed. Throw strikes consistently, and Warren will be a handful. He didn’t do that Monday and thus needed 59 pitches to get nine outs against a “B” lineup, even while limiting the damage.

“I feel like I've been ready (to help the Yankees),” Warren told Gary Phillips. “So whenever that time comes, hopefully sooner rather than later, I'm ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

Beeter, meanwhile, looked very good against 7/9ths of Philadelphia’s starting lineup. Mid-90s gas and seven whiffs on 11 swings against the slider. Beeter threw eight fewer pitches than Warren while getting three more outs. He was around the zone plenty …

… which is not really Beeter’s calling card. Throwing two pitches that often is though. Beeter threw 91% fastballs and sliders in Triple-A last season. There are more two-pitch starters than ever these days (Spencer Strider, Carlos Rodón, etc.), though it remains to be seen whether Beeter’s stuff and command is good enough to turn over a lineup twice using only fastballs and sliders. We’ll get a chance to find out at some point this summer, I imagine.

In his first spring game Beeter allowed two runs in two innings in a non-televised game. In the two times we have seen him, he’s looked really sharp: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K. If the competition for the No. 5 spot is based on Monday, Beeter won it easily. It wasn’t though, and Warren (and others) will have two more cracks at it. Opening Day is two weeks out. This race for the No. 5 spot is a sprint.

(Does Luis Gil belong in the No. 5 starter conversation? He replaced Beeter on Monday and was throwing FU stuff: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (video). So soon after Tommy John surgery, Gil might need some Triple-A time before he’s ready to help the Yankees, but there ain’t nothing wrong with that arm.)

Poteet making case for bullpen spot

What is Spring Training for if not falling in love with random pitchers? Falling in love is overselling it, but Cody Poteet looks like he could be a useful piece, if not part of the Opening Day roster with Cole, Scott Effross, and Tommy Kahnle (and Lou Trivino) hurt. Poteet’s numbers are strong – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 58% grounders – and he’s gotten swings and misses on four different pitches. His whiffs:

Tiny, tiny sample of course, but the guy has four pitches. Five, really. Poteet’s throwing a slider as well, he just hasn’t gotten a whiff on it yet. Velocity’s good too. Four-seamer is 93-95 mph, sinker is 92-93 mph, changeup and slider are mid-80s, curveball is upper-70s. Poteet looks healthy, and that’s pretty important seeing how he’s coming off Tommy John surgery and threw only 75.1 innings from 2021-23.

To be clear, I’m not saying Poteet is a hidden gem or the next great Yankees pitcher. Only that you can see the makings of a decent depth option. Poteet can pitch north-south and east-west, and he forces hitters to cover a wide velocity range. It’s a pretty interesting arsenal. He has all three options remaining and he has been a starter his entire career. Looks like the Yankees found an up-and-down swingman type.

“I enjoy both,” Poteet told Phillips when asked whether he prefers starting or relieving. “It would be hard for me to pick a preference. What I would love to do is just help this team win.”

The Effross and Kahnle (and Trivino) injuries open two Opening Day bullpen spots and Nick Burdi seems to be the favorite for one. Poteet should be in the running for the other. Ron Marinaccio is having a tough spring, Yerry De Los Santos has gotten rocked, and Nick Ramirez is Nick Ramirez. Poteet’s competition is … Dennis Santana? Oddanier Mosqueda? Beeter or Gil or Warren? Can’t rule them out.

Poteet has worked multiple innings in his three Grapefruit League appearances and I bet the Yankees get him stretched out to four innings and 60 pitches or so by the end of camp. The Yankees always ease their starters into things early in the season and now they won’t have Cole to save the bullpen every fifth day for the foreseeable future. Carrying a second long reliever (along with Luke Weaver) who can give you 2-3 innings isn’t a bad idea, and Poteet can do it. He’s earned Opening Day roster consideration.

Rule 5 Draft update

The Yankees lost three pitchers in December’s Rule 5 Draft and now that we’re entering the final two weeks of Spring Training, I figured we should take stock and see what they’re doing (I wrote this before the Cole news and I suppose it’s more relevant now). Here’s the Rule 5 update.

RHP Carson Coleman, Rangers: Coleman had Tommy John surgery last spring and is still rehabbing. He hasn’t pitched in any Cactus League games and the Rangers put him on the 60-day injured list a few days ago. Tommy John surgery guys get two 30-day rehab periods, so once he's ready to go, Texas will use those 60 days to evaluate Coleman and see whether he’s worth adding to the MLB roster. Check back in a few months.

RHP Mitch Spence, Athletics: The A’s have lost several pitchers to injury this spring, including former Yankees prospect Luis Medina (knee). Spence has had an okay spring (9 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 9 K) and manager Mark Kotsay told Martin Gallegos they want to keep Spence, but they’ll make a decision at the end of camp. Sounds like typical manager speak. Looking over their depth chart, Spence seems to be in good shape. They’re not exactly brimming with pitching in Oakland.

RHP Matt Sauer, Royals: Sauer’s had a nice enough spring (6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 8 K) and, just poking around the Royals corner of the internet, it seems like his grip on an Opening Day roster spot is tenuous. The Royals have 4-5 other candidates for that bullpen spot, including guys with big league time. Sauer is the Rule 5 Draft most likely guy to be returned to the Yankees before Opening Day. By a lot too.

Up Next

Here are the upcoming schedule and pitching probables (here’s the Grapefruit League broadcast schedule):

• Tuesday at Blue Jays: Dennis Santana (YES app)
• Wednesday vs. Red Sox: TBA (YES)
• Thursday at Tigers: TBA (no TV)

(Luke Weaver was scratched from Tuesday's start with a stiff neck. I look forward to this going from day-to-day to four months on the shelf somehow.)

It’s not uncommon for teams to list their starting pitcher as TBA two days before a game in Spring Training (or even the day before), but when I saw Cole not listed anywhere Monday morning, I got worried. Throwing another simulated game this week would’ve been a bit weird. Sure enough.

Anyway, Wednesday is the Opening Day slot. Whoever pitches Wednesday will be lined up to make two more Grapefruit League starts and start Opening Day, all on normal rest. Rodón is lined up to pitch Wednesday. Rodón on Opening Day, eh? That dude is gonna follow the Carl Pavano path right down to getting a random Opening Day start because the ace got hurt late in Spring Training, isn’t he?

Wednesday would be three days' rest for Marcus Stroman and the Yankees aren’t starting Stroman on short rest on March 13th to line him up for the ceremonial Opening Day start. I don't think they’ll disrupt his routine and schedule by giving him a ton of extra rest at some point so he can start Opening Day. Sometimes shit happens and you have to start someone you don’t expect to start on Opening Day. It is what it is.

Also, Jonathan Loáisiga has not appeared in a Grapefruit League game yet, which is worrisome given his injury history and last year’s season-ending elbow issue. Loáisiga has been throwing though. He threw two innings and 30-ish pitches in a simulated game Sunday (video). Still, I’d like to see him in a game soon. Boone insists Loáisiga is healthy, but I’ve heard that before.

Miscellany

Giancarlo Stanton had two hits Sunday and he just missed two pitches Monday (he yanked one just foul and hit the other to the warning track). Maybe that’s a sign he’s getting more comfortable with the swing adjustments and his timing is getting close? I hope so. I planned to write more about Stanton before the Cole news sapped my will to blog/live. Maybe Friday … Austin Wells since starting the spring 0-for-6 with five strikeouts: 6-for-15 with two doubles and two home runs. Boone is raving about his defense too (to be fair, would you expect Boone to do any different?). I keep seeing people say Wells is battling for a roster spot and I just don’t buy it. Unless he gets hurt, Wells is on the team … Sticking with the catchers, Jose Trevino made his spring debut Sunday after being slowed by a calf injury and he went deep (video). His stance looks a little different, no? I didn’t recognize him at first. Trevino got a bunch of at-bats in minor league games last week and his catching workouts have been heavy, so it seems the calf is a non-issue. I’m curious to see how the Yankees divvy up the playing time between Trevino and Wells once the regular season gets going … Ian Hamilton has gone two full innings in three of his four Grapefruit League outings. He’s definitely the leader in the clubhouse to fill Mike King’s multi-inning setup man role. Hamilton’s been nails too: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K … Oswaldo Cabrera hit left-handed against a lefty Sunday and got a hit! A bloop single (video), but still a hit. It was his first left-on-left at-bat of the spring (he only had three at-bats against lefties prior to that). Cabrera went 3-for-3 on Sunday and 1-for-2 on Monday, raising his spring OPS from, uh, .127 to .412 … Spencer Jones’ no-whiff streak is over. He swung and missed at the first pitch he saw Monday. First whiff on his 94th pitch of the spring. Jones followed it with his second swing and miss of the spring two pitches later … And finally, a Jasson Domínguez update: El Marciano has increased his throwing to 75 feet, and he started swinging a bat left-handed Monday (he was limited to righty swings previously). So far, so good with the Tommy John surgery rehab. Domínguez remains on track for a June or July return.

3. Rapid fire thoughts. According to Jon Heyman, who is as plugged in as it gets with Scott Boras clients, Blake Snell is willing to take a short-term contract with opt outs a la Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman. Jordan Montgomery continues to hold out for a long-term deal though. The Yankees should be all over Snell on a short-term contract. I felt that way even before Gerrit Cole’s MRI, and now with Cole’s MRI, they have to do it. If all the top free agents sign and then Cole gets hurt, then what can you do? But two – two! – of them are still available. Not getting one now, with Cole hurt and Juan Soto guaranteed to be a Yankee for only one year and Aaron Judge having only so many peak years remaining, would be a colossal mistake. It’s on Hal Steinbrenner to raise payroll to make it happen, and it would be fair to question his commitment to winning if he doesn’t in the wake of Cole’s injury … After spending a week trying to trade him, the Giants released J.D. Davis on Monday. No team was willing to claim him and absorb his entire $6.9M salary (the Yankees would have paid another $7.59M in luxury tax on top of that). The Giants have to pay Davis only 30 days termination pay (roughly $1.15M) because they went to an arbitration hearing, and arbitration contracts are only fully guaranteed if you don’t go to a hearing (Davis might file a grievance claiming he wasn’t released for performance reasons). The Yankees could use Davis on the bench, though I imagine he’ll go to the team that offers the most playing time, and that’s not the Yankees. Donovan Solano might be a better fit for that righty hitting part-time corner infielder role anyway, and he’ll probably come cheaper … And finally, a quick note on the Mexico City games: Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch the Yankees will be “pretty well-represented” there even though they are split squad games, and they have regular old Grapefruit League games those two days as well. They’re still working through who goes on the trip and who stays in Florida – Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes were scheduled to start those games before Cole’s injury – though I assume Victor González (he’s from Mexico) and Alex Verdugo (his father is from Mexico and he’s played for Mexico in two World Baseball Classics) will be there.

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