March 7th, 2023: King, Rodón, Left Field, Kahnle, García, Volpe, Kiner-Falefa, Prospects

Every spring I get excited to watch prospects and some years they don’t deliver. The hitters don’t hit and the pitchers get hit hard. It happens. This is not one of those springs. The prospects have been awesome. Anthony Volpe does something highlight-worthy every game he plays and Jasson Domínguez is mashing. He golfed a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the ninth Sunday (video). That’s the good stuff, Jasson. He is 6-for-13 (.462) with two homers, two walks, and one strikeout this spring. Left field in the Bronx awaits. Let’s get to today’s post.

1. Grapefruit League observations. We have an Opening Day rotation. Aaron Boone told Erik Boland the Yankees will go Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Severino, either Domingo Germán or Clarke Schmidt, then Nestor Cortes in that order to begin the regular season. Cortes is slotted in as the No. 5 only because he’s behind the other starters following the hamstring injury. This is all tentative with Opening Day still three weeks away, but that’s the plan. Looks good to me. Here are a few thoughts on the last few games as the Yankees and Rays play a 14-10 game with 40 baserunners in 2:56 (viva la pitch clock).

King returns, looks like himself

Friday night Mike King pitched in his first official game since breaking his elbow last July 22nd in Baltimore. He mowed through a weak split squad Tigers lineup (six up, six down, four strikeouts), and while the game was not broadcast anywhere, the numbers say King looked like himself. Like the guy who was legitimately the best reliever in the league before getting hurt last year.

More accurately, the numbers say King looked like he did last Spring Training, not last regular season. His velocity was down about 1.5 mph from last regular season but it was in line with last spring. It wasn’t until May that King began hitting 97-99 mph regularly. The spin and break on everything, including the enormous sweep he gets on his breaking ball, were all there Friday.

“Mechanically, everything feels synced up. Health-wise, everything feels great,” King told Max Goodman. “The movement of my pitches wasn’t as good in my bullpens and then as soon as I got my hands sped up in the game, it came right back … I’ll have five or six more games. I don’t think I need more than that in Spring Training to (be ready for Opening Day).”

It was only 20 pitches, but King going two full innings in his first spring game after a major elbow injury is a good sign and it tells us two things. One, there are no restrictions (not that the Yankees will be reckless with him). King pitched an inning, sat down, warmed up again, then pitched another inning. That’s a normal spring debut for a pitcher in his role and a good sign.

And two, it suggests the Yankees will use King as a multi-inning reliever again. Aaron Boone said the Yankees were still deciding on King’s role a few weeks ago, and turning him into a one-inning guy was a consideration. Do you want him throwing, say, 80 innings in 50 games, or 65 innings in 65 games? The former gives you more innings but the latter impacts more games.

The Yankees have several quality one-inning relievers in Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loáisiga*, and Wandy Peralta. Given that, it makes sense to use King as a multi-inning guy and have more flexibility in the bullpen. If the Yankees determine a one-inning role is the best way to keep King healthy, so be it. But if he can do multiple innings, I say keep him in that role.

* Loáisiga went two innings regularly in 2021. Last year he did it once, and he got four or more outs only 11 times in his 50 appearances. Thee days he’s more of a one-inning guy who can give you an extra out or two on occasion than a King-esque multi-inning dominator.

We can worry about regular season roles when the regular season gets here. For now, King is healthy and pitching in Spring Training games, and the numbers checked out. Without seeing it, King’s first outing post-elbow fracture seems to have gone as well as we could have hoped. The Yankees really missed him last year. Difference-making relievers are uncommon and King is one.

“He was carving tonight. He’s the Michael King we saw all of last year. It was really good stuff,” Boone told Bryan Hoch after Friday’s game. “All of his ‘pens and live (batting practices) have been good, but any time you’re coming back from a significant injury, it’s meaningful to get back there in real game action, a night game under the lights. I think it was significant for him, and he was great.”

Rodón Velocity Watch™

Carlos Rodón made his spring debut Sunday and got hit hard (2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR). Matt Olson and Austin Riley took him deep and Olson nearly hit a second home run, though it sailed just foul. “Fortunately, this game doesn’t count, so that’s good,” Rodón told Hoch.

Before the game Boone told Marly Rivera that Rodón “hasn’t gotten to the velocity point he's going to get to.” Statcast data for the Braves’ spring park isn't public and people at the game tell me Rodón was 92-95 mph on the scoreboard. Apparently the Yankees told him not to overdo it and to stick with his usual Spring Training routine.

“The thing I don’t want him to do is start reaching because he’s supposed to throw 96, 97, 98,” Boone told Hoch. “This is in line with where he is every spring. I don’t want him to feel like he’s got to impress us on March 5th and overdo it, then get in a bad spot mechanically. My message to him is, 'Stay in your mechanics and execute.' He’ll get to that spot.”

Rodón told Greg Joyce: “I wanted to reach back and throw harder, but I told myself to trust the process, I guess. But a younger me would have said, ‘Eff that, I’m going to throw one as hard as I can right here.’ I’m glad I didn’t do that.”

Prior to this year Rodón spent his entire career with teams that train in Arizona, and the Cactus League is in the Stone Age. Statcast data is made public from only two stadiums there. Rodón did not pitch in a Statcast park during the abbreviated post-lockout spring last year. He threw one game in a Statcast park in Spring Training 2021 and sat 94.8 mph. That was in his second to last spring start on March 21st too, so he had more innings under his belt than he did Sunday.

Based on that, yeah, it seems Rodón’s fastball Sunday was where it usually is this time of year, assuming the scoreboard radar can be trusted. Given a) his importance to the Yankees, b) his reliance on elevated heaters, c) his gradual in-season velocity decline the last two years …

… d) his injury history, and e) his big new six-year contract, we should keep tabs on Rodón’s velocity this spring. He’ll get into games in Statcast parks soon enough and we’ll no longer have to rely on the scoreboard. There’s no need to panic yet, it’s not like he’s sitting 89-91 mph, but his velocity is on my radar. Rodón at, say, 94-95 mph is a different animal than Rodón at 97-98 mph.

“He’s not in midseason form but you could see flashes of it,” Kyle Higashioka, Rodón’s catcher Sunday, told Hoch. “The important thing for him is that he doesn’t try to do too much early. We’re not trying to win the Grapefruit League. We’re looking to win the World Series.”

The left field situation

“Situation” is a better term than “competition” for left field. Provided no one gets injured, I would be surprised if Aaron Hicks isn’t the left fielder on Opening Day. That doesn’t mean he’ll keep the job all season, but the Yankees seem intent on giving Hicks another shot. They’re at least pretending shortstop is a legit competition. I don’t get the sense the left field job is up for grabs.

“It’s good to see those guys performing and playing well and keeping themselves in the mix, for sure,” Boone told Joyce following Saturday’s game, when Hicks and ostensible left field candidates Oswaldo Cabrera, Willie Calhoun, and Rafael Ortega all went deep (and Estevan Florial had a 108.1 mph single, the game’s hardest hit ball).

Hicks has talked this spring about making some swing changes, specifically changing his hand position to better get to pitches up in the zone. It’s difficult to see here, but last year Hicks had his hands far away from his body when he began his leg kick. This year his hands are already tight to his body when he lifts his leg.

There was more hand movement last year. Hicks had his hands far away from his body, then he brought them in tight, then he started his swing. This year his hands are already in close to his body, so he can get right into his swing. “Being able to adjust to pitches a lot better than I have in the past,” Hicks told Joyce about the adjustment with his hands.

The one-handed follow through vs. two-handed follow through is also notable, though Hicks has used both this spring. Two-handed follow throughs typically provide more bat control and Mark Teixeira began using one after his wrist tendon sheath surgery in 2013 (the same surgery Hicks had in 2021). I’m gonna keep tabs on this and see whether Hicks converts to a two-handed follow through full-time. He hasn’t yet though. He’s used both this spring.

“I just gotta have a good Spring Training. Have a good Spring Training, play solid defense, and pretty much make it to a point where I’m in there every single day and we never have to talk about this again,” Hicks jokingly told Joyce. He is 5-for-13 (.385) with a double and a homer early in Grapefruit League play.

The other left field candidates have performed well. Calhoun is 8-for-14 (.571) with a homer, a double, two walks, and one strikeout. He is well on his way to being this year's former Texas Ranger who plays too much. Ortega is 3-for-9 (.333) with a triple, two homers, four walks, and three strikeouts. He’s also tied for the most left field starts. Here are the left field starts this spring:

1. Aaron Hicks: 3
2. Rafael Ortega: 3
3. Willie Calhoun: 2
4. Estevan Florial: 2
5. Oswaldo Cabrera: 1

Calhoun is younger and the bigger name given his prospect pedigree, though Ortega is the more well-rounded player. Both are lefties who don’t swing and miss excessively and can put a mistake in the seats, but Ortega is a better defender (Calhoun is one of the worst defensive outfielders in the game) who contributes more on the bases. He’s a more functional bench outfielder.

Cabrera has played left field once, right field once, and third base four times*. I flippantly asked last week whether the Yankees would put him in center field and it turns out, yeah, they will. “He is gonna see some time in center field actually. In a couple days I have him backing up in center,” Boone said during an in-game interview Saturday (video). How about that?

“I love it. I don’t have no problem when they move me around. I just enjoy it,” Cabrera told Joyce. “I want to keep playing and that’s my mentality. The position that the manager wants me to play today to help the team win, that’s what position I’m going to play.”

The thing is, Cabrera seemed like Hicks’ primary competition in left field coming into the spring, yet he’s not playing out there. And it’s not like he’s an experienced outfielder. Cabrera has 370.1 innings of outfield experience total, in his entire career, including this spring. That’s a little more than 40 games worth. If Cabrera’s a left field candidate, the Yankees aren’t preparing him for it. He needs more work out there than he’s been getting.

Aaron Judge has been taking fly balls in left field and he will play there Wednesday and Thursday. He’s not a permanent left field solution though. That’s just something the Yankees are toying with as a way to get Giancarlo Stanton into Yankee Stadium’s small right field. It feels like Hicks is the left fielder, Cabrera’s the super utility guy, and Calhoun and Ortega are the guys we spend an inordinate amount of time talking about in Spring Training.

For now, it seems like the Yankees are planning on Hicks as the left fielder to begin the season, so hopefully this hands adjustment and getting further away from wrist surgery (and extreme shifts being outlawed) ups his production. If it doesn’t, then it’ll be on Cabrera and Calhoun and Ortega to hold down the fort until the trade deadline. We’re all focusing on shortstop and that’s understandable, but left field is important too, and I’d argue much more uncertain.

* I think Cabrera playing so much third base has more to do with the infield situation than the Yankees preparing him to replace Josh Donaldson. They have a bunch of guys competing at short and Gleyber Torres played a lot early in camp in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. Those positions haven't been available. I bet Cabrera gets more middle infield time now that Torres left camp.

Kahnle has biceps tendinitis

Tommy Kahnle has not yet appeared in a Grapefruit League game and now we know why: he has biceps tendinitis. Tests showed no structural damage and Tuesday is Day 5 of Kahnle’s 10-day shutdown period. He threw live batting practice on Feb. 24th, so this is a fairly new injury.

“We’ll be careful and not rush him, but it should keep him in line (for Opening Day),” Boone told Joyce. “We had it imaged and everything and there’s no change in his physical stuff and shoulder. Just a little biceps tendinitis. So he should get through it in the next week and start ramping him up.”

Boone said Opening Day is still a possibility while Kahnle told Hoch he expects to miss about a month. Manager downplays injury. News at 11. Kahnle said he had a similar injury in 2018 and tried to pitch through it, and performed so poorly he got himself sent to Triple-A (long enough to delay his free agency too). There’s no reason to push it. Kahnle’s had arm trouble the last three years, including Tommy John surgery, and it’s so early in the baseball year. Take it easy on him.

Kahnle opening the season on the injured list would buy the Yankees time with Albert Abreu, who is out of minor league options and has low-key looked electric this spring. The Yankees could go into the season with this bullpen with Kahnle sidelined:

• Closer: RHP Clay Holmes
• Setup: RHP Jonathan Loáisiga, RHP Mike King, LHP Wandy Peralta
• Middle: RHP Albert Abreu, RHP Ron Marinaccio, RHP Lou Trivino
• Long: RHP Domingo Germán or RHP Clarke Schmidt

If not Abreu, the Yankees could put Jimmy Cordero or Matt Krook on the Opening Day roster. They have temporary bullpen candidates. Point is, there’s no reason to push things with Kahnle. Let him recover and build up properly however long it takes. Opening Day isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things. Get well soon, Tommy Tightpants.

Deivi’s fastball

Deivi García was one of the worst pitchers in the minors the last two seasons. He threw 154.2 innings with a 6.87 ERA (6.32 FIP) from 2021-22, and I dropped him out of my top 30 prospects list. “I’m out on Deivi … He’s barely a Triple-A pitcher at this point,” I wrote. So, naturally, García showed up to camp throwing 98 mph. Here’s me:

García has made two Grapefruit League appearances (4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K) and he’s thrown 59 fastballs among his 70 pitches (84%). They’ve ranged from 95.1 mph to 98.2 mph, averaging 95.8 mph. During his 2020-21 MLB stints, García threw 55% fastballs while averaging 92.0 mph and topping out at 96.2 mph. His fastball was in a similar place in the minors last year.

“Today I was just trying to stay aggressive, execute those pitches, and throw my fastball,” García said during a YES interview after his first outing (video). “My fastball, I used it a lot. I was just trying to do that today … Use my fastball, be consistent with it, and just try to execute.”

Even at his prospect peak, Deivi never had huge velocity, though he had excellent fastball traits (extension, approach angle, induced vertical break, etc.) and it played above its velocity. Hitters consistently swung through his fastball like it was 96-98 mph rather than 92-94 mph (like this). The underlying numbers are similar this spring, except there’s much more velocity.

I have no idea whether this newfound velocity will stick and whether 84% fastballs is a conscious adjustment or “I’m working on fastball command” stuff early in camp, but after the last two years, I say put García in short relief and let him air it out. His non-fastballs have been a mess and now he’s throwing 98 mph. Let it eat for an inning at a time and see what happens.

Deivi turns only 24 in May. He’s younger than Randy Vásquez and only a month older than Will Warren. The Yankees don’t have to completely close the door on García as a starter yet, but he’s had no success the last two years. Put him in the bullpen, see if it works, and let him rebuild his confidence and learn how to get outs. They can always revisit a starting role in the future.

García has a minor league option remaining and it is the last chance to salvage a player who was once a top 100 prospect. The Yankees should use that option to convert Deivi into a fastball heavy one-inning reliever in Triple-A. If it works, great. If not, then they’re right back where they are now, with García being a non-factor. A move to short relief could be a career-saver.

Roster cuts begin

The Yankees announced their first round of roster cuts following Sunday’s game and their second round following Monday's game. 11 players were sent to minor league camp: IF Jesús Bastidas, RHP Sean Boyle, C Josh Breaux, 3B Andres Chaparro, OF Elijah Dunham, RHP Yoendrys Gómez, OF Everson Pereira, C Anthony Seigler, LHP D.J. Snelten, RHP Mitch Spence, and C Austin Wells. Not anyone who had a chance to be on the Opening Day roster, but a few guys who could see the Bronx later this year.

Here’s the updated Spring Training roster. An asterisk indicates the player is out of minor league options and must pass through waivers and go to Triple-A, and players who have been crossed out have already been sent out:

With Seigler going down and Higashioka away at the World Baseball Classic, the Yankees have only three healthy catchers in the big league camp: Rodolfo Durán, Carlos Narvaez, and Jose Trevino. They can always bring players up from minor league camp to help out as needed, and they will, but sheesh. The catching depth chart is mighty thin at the moment.

The Yankees still have 58 players in big league camp, though it’s really more like 53 because of the five injured 40-man roster guys. We’re getting to the point in Spring Training where there will be cuts every few days. I expect these players to get reassigned soon-ish given their age and proximity to the big leagues:

OF Jasson Domínguez
LHP Lisandro Santos
RHP Randy Vásquez (on 40-man roster)

The big leaguers will begin to up their workloads soon and take more at-bats and more innings, which means less playing time for prospects. I hope the Yankees keep Domínguez around a little longer, he’s fun, but he needs to get ready for the season too, and he’ll get the at-bats he needs in minor league camp. They’re going to be increasingly harder to come by in big league camp.

Volpe won’t be sent out anytime soon (I think he’ll be one of the very last cuts) and I don’t think Krook or Jhony Brito will either. The veteran non-roster journeymen (Tyler Danish, Billy McKinney, etc.) will start being sent down within 7-10 days. Chances are some of them have opt outs in the event they don’t make the Opening Day roster. Those will come into play at some point.

Anyway, the roster trimming has begun. The only surprise with the first round of cuts is Seigler and that’s only because the Yankees are running short on healthy catchers. He’ll be back as a minor league call up du jour a bunch of times between now and Opening Day. I’m sure of it.

Upcoming games

Grapefruit League record check: 7-4 with a +14 run differential. That’s with a 12-0 loss too. Here’s what the Yankees have coming up between now and Friday’s post:

• Tuesday: OFF
• Wednesday vs. Cardinals (1pm ET): YES Network and MLB Network out-of-market
• Thursday vs. Red Sox (1pm ET): YES Network and NESN360

Tuesday is the first off-day of the Grapefruit League season. Nestor Cortes (hamstring) will throw live batting practice again Wednesday, so his spring debut is still a few days off. It looks like Wednesday will be a bullpen day with the high leverage relievers getting work, then Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt on Thursday, but don’t hold me to that. I’m just going off how their five-day schedules line up.

Judge will play left field Wednesday and Thursday. I suppose we could see Cabrera in center one of those days too. Even in Spring Training, a Judge-Cabrera-Stanton outfield from left-to-right is not something I had on my 2023 Yankees lolwtf bingo card. Also, Gleyber Torres has left for the World Baseball Classic. That opens up second base time for Cabrera and the shortstop candidates.

Miscellany

The Yankees keep saying they’re going to play their shortstop candidates all around the field yet Isiah Kiner-Falefa keeps playing short. Five games, five starts at short, including four with either DJ LeMahieu or Torres at second base (Volpe was at second in the other game). There’s a lot of Spring Training baseball still to be played and plenty of time to move Kiner-Falefa around, but I’ll say this much: Peraza and Volpe are making it clear Kiner-Falefa has no business playing short on a regular basis this season … Luis Severino has been hit hard in his two Grapefruit League games (4.2 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 3 HR), but I’m not worried. Stuff looks good, velocity is there, etc. He gave up two homers on a very windy day Saturday (nine homers in the game, including seven in the first five innings). “The results are getting better. I gave up four runs last time. I gave up three (today). So hopefully by the beginning of the season, I'm going down to zero,” Severino jokingly told Hoch after Saturday’s outing. Severino had an 8.22 ERA with more walks than strikeouts last spring. I wish he was pitching better but it is way, way too early to worry … Peraza “tweaked” his left leg running through first base Sunday and is tentatively scheduled to be back in the lineup Thursday, Boone told Joyce. I saw Peraza hit the bag awkwardly and walk off gingerly, though he remained in the game. Seems like nothing to worry about, though I’ll feel better when I see him back in the lineup … And finally, Ron Marinaccio has yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game and it sounds like the Yankees planned all along to bring him along slowly after last year’s shin injury. Kinda weird. They indicated he would have been on the World Series roster had they advanced. Marinaccio has been throwing live batting practice and there’s still enough time for him to get 5-6 spring games in before Opening Day. Relievers don’t need any more than that. If we don’t see Marinaccio in a game by this time next week, it’ll be time to start asking questions. He’s the only 40-man roster player yet to appear in a game this spring other than the injured guys (Cortes, Effross, Gil, Kahnle, Montas).

2. The case for sending Volpe to Triple-A. Oswald Peraza is running a .417 OBP and has played a splendid shortstop in the early days of the Grapefruit League season, yet he has been overshadowed by Anthony Volpe. Volpe has been as advertised, going 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles and a homer in his first six games while looking cool, calm, and collected. He looks like a big leaguer. Every game he does something to help his team win.

“I can’t say I’m surprised because I think we all expected him to handle it all well,” Aaron Boone told Max Goodman about Volpe’s impressive work the last two weeks. “He’s just a good player that loves the game, that’s into all the little things about the game. With Anthony, the intangible part of it is really good.”

The Yankees say they’re holding an open competition at shortstop yet Volpe has started just two games at the position, and one was a split squad road game. Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have more or less alternated starts at short thus far, and although the Yankees say they intend to play their shortstops at other positions, Volpe is really the only one doing it.

I am unconvinced the open competition at shortstop is an actual competition. I think the Yankees have already decided Peraza will be the starter, Volpe is going back to Triple-A, and Kiner-Falefa will find himself in parts unknown (on the bench? traded?). Volpe is making it awfully tough for the Yankees to send him down though. If they’re gonna send you down, make the fans get made at them for it.

“That’s the goal, I guess,” Volpe told James O’Connell about reaching the big leagues this year. “But it’s super out of my control. So like I said, I just want to improve every day and be the best player I can be. Because at the end of the day, even if I’m playing this year or next year or whatever, I always want to keep improving and keep being a better player so, there’s still a lot more goals to fulfill.”

If it were up to me, I’d give Volpe the shortstop job and he’d be in my lineup on Opening Day. It’s not up to me though, and in the interest of covering all the angles, I’m going to make the case for sending Volpe back to Triple-A, and giving the starting shortstop job to Peraza (I can’t make a case for Kiner-Falefa as the starting shortstop at this point, sorry). Let’s get to it.

He’s barely played in Triple-A

The Yankees promoted Volpe to Triple-A Scranton late last season (Peraza was called up when rosters expanded Sept. 1st and Volpe went from Double-A to Triple-A in a corresponding move) and hit .236/.313/.404 (91 wRC+) in 22 games. He went 11-for-25 (.440) in his first six Triple-A games and 10-for-64 (.156) with 25 strikeouts in his final 16 Triple-A games. He didn’t exactly kill it after the promotion.

“That’s part of his case and case against and story,” Boone told Greg Joyce when asked about Volpe’s lack of Triple-A experience. “Yeah, it’s all part of the equation that you gotta make a decision on at some point.”

Volpe has a history of struggling initially when he moves up a level, then adjusting. I’m going to quote my top 30 prospects list:

There has been a pattern each time Volpe moved up a level. He gets promoted and struggles against spin, particularly from righties and moreso against breaking balls that finish below the zone rather than off the plate away, and needs time to adjust. It happened when he was promoted to High-A Hudson Valley in July 2021 (25.2% strikeout rate in his first 24 games and 20.5% thereafter), when he was sent to Double-A Somerset to begin 2022 (27.0% strikeout rate in his first 27 games and 14.7% thereafter), and when he arrived at Triple-A Scranton to finish 2022 (30.3% strikeout rate in 22 games). The breaking balls only get better each time you climb the ladder, and there's always a chance Volpe never solves them at Triple-A or MLB. At the very least, we should assume he has an adjustment period coming whenever he gets summoned to the Bronx.

Hopefully those 22 games late last year were Volpe’s Triple-A adjustment period, and he hits the ground running this season. He might need more time to adjust though, and given how little time he spent in Triple-A last year (99 plate appearances), it’s not unreasonable to think Volpe needs more seasoning. He turns 22 in April. Aaron Judge was in Low-A at that age.

Counterpoint: Both of last season’s Rookies of the Year skipped Triple-A entirely, and the World Series featured two rookie shortstops with a combined 49 games of Triple-A experience. Gleyber Torres was already in the big leagues when he was Volpe’s age and he played only 37 Triple-A games around Tommy John surgery. Players this talented don’t follow the usual developmental timelines. Volpe’s skill set suggests he can handle an aggressive big league promotion.

Peraza has to play too

Like it or not, Josh Donaldson is going to be the third baseman to begin the year. Torres is what, the Yankees’ third or fourth best position player? He’s going to play a lot too, as he should. DJ LeMahieu will continue to do his rover thing and stay in the lineup regularly. He played in 93 of the team’s first 103 games last season (85 starts), before his toe became an issue. “How will they get him at-bats???” is never ever an issue.

We can fantasize all we want about the Yankees releasing Donaldson (or trading Torres) to clear room for Peraza and Volpe in the lineup, but there’s no indication it will happen. Donaldson and Torres and LeMahieu will all play regularly, leaving shortstop as the only spot for a kid. Peraza played just about a full season in Triple-A last year and did all he needed to do. He needs to play in the big leagues and be challenged at that level to continue his development.

Peraza is no slouch. He’s a top 100 prospect himself and his development is important too. Putting him at short in the big leagues and Volpe at short in Triple-A might be the best thing for the organization long-term because each player would be at the appropriate level given their experience. Unless the Yankees do something unexpected like release Donaldson or trade Torres, there’s no way to play Volpe without taking playing time away from Peraza.

Counterpoint: The best players should play, and if Volpe wrestles the shortstop job away from Peraza, so be it. The onus then falls on Peraza to win it back, or beat out someone else for a roster spot. Volpe is the better prospect, one with true star potential, and he should be the priority. If he deserves the job, give it to him, and figure out what to do with Peraza later.

Service time

You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think service time factors into roster decisions. The Yankees manipulate service time like every other team, or do you think it’s a coincidence Luis Severino finished two days short of a full year of service time in 2016 after being called up a few days into September rather than with the other roster expansion guys on Sept. 1st?

All it takes is 15 days in the minors to delay free agency. Call Volpe up two weeks into the season rather than put him on the Opening Day roster and the Yankees would effectively have seven years of control rather than six, and if Volpe becomes the player we all hope he can become, that seventh year of control (his age 28 season in 2029) will be awfully valuable.

Counterpoint: Why are we worrying about stealing Volpe’s 2029 season – and it is stealing, service time manipulation is wage theft, full stop – when Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón are in their primes in 2023? Can the Yankees win one World Series with this core before planning for their second or third World Series down the line? Put the best players on the field and pay them appropriately when the time comes. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

(Also, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement includes incentives for putting top prospects on the Opening Day roster (a full year of service time for the Rookie of the Year winner and runner-up, Prospect Promotion Incentive draft picks, etc.))

* * *

Like I said earlier, I don’t think the Yankees will actually give Volpe the Opening Day shortstop job. I think it’ll be Peraza, with Volpe going back to Triple-A. It’s not what I prefer but honestly, it’s fine. It would be a different story if Volpe went to Triple-A so Kiner-Falefa could remain at short. I couldn’t get on board with that. But Peraza as the MLB shortstop? Okay, that’s fine.

There’s a chance Donaldson is cooked and Volpe takes his roster spot a few weeks into the season anyway. The Yankees released Alfonso Soriano and Álex Rodríguez in the middle of the season when they felt they were done as productive players, even with another year remaining on A-Rod’s contract at big money. I don’t think they want to do the same with Donaldson, but if he forces their hand, I think they will, and Volpe is the obvious call up candidate.

Anyway, Volpe going back to Triple-A because the Yankees believe he needs more experience at that level, and because they want to play Peraza at short full-time, is defensible. Doing it for service time reasons would be shameful. We’ll see Volpe in the Bronx this year and I hope it’s on Opening Day. More likely, it’ll be a little later in the summer.

3. Latest hot stove rumblings. Can we still call it the hot stove in Spring Training? I suppose not, but I don’t know what else to call it. Here are the latest hot stove rumblings even though it is technically no longer hot stove season.

Dodgers had interest in Kiner-Falefa

Follow-up to what I wrote about Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the Dodgers last week: Buster Olney (subs. req’d) says the Yankees and Dodgers had talks about Kiner-Falefa over the winter, but Los Angeles opted for Miguel Rojas instead. Now that we know the Dodgers had prior interest, I feel less crazy for thinking they might have interest now, following Gavin Lux’s knee injury.

"It's difficult. It's not the most natural time to make a trade," Dodgers POBO Andrew Friedman told Bill Plunkett. "So we'll spend more time figuring out what's possible. We're not sure at this point and we're trying to wrap our arms around the various profiles of a player and how it would fit. There's been a domino effect of how guys are now going to spend time and what positions they are going to play and what that opens up and making sure our bench has the right balance. Those are all things we're going to spend time getting into more detail on."

The Dodgers aren’t the type to make a knee-jerk trade after losing a player to an injury. They have a perfectly cromulent replacement shortstop in Rojas, and if he doesn’t work out, they can look for help later. There’s definitely a potential fit here though, and now we know the Dodgers had interest in Kiner-Falefa in the not too distant past (the Rojas trade was made on Jan. 11th).

Rockies might seek infield help from Yankees

The Dodgers aren’t the only NL West club to lose a prized young infielder to a major injury this spring. Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers blew out his shoulder diving for a ball and will miss most of the year even if he doesn’t have surgery. Colorado signed the reanimated corpse of Mike Moustakas over the weekend. He’s in the mix to replace Rodgers at second base.

“Right now we are looking internally and then, if not, I might have a conversation with (Brian Cashman) at some point if we have anything they like,” Rockies GM Bill Schmidt told Joel Sherman after Rodgers got hurt. Hey now.

The Rockies are practically begging the Yankees to take advantage of them. I know the two sides discussed a Kiner-Falefa for a reliever trade over the winter and they could rekindle those talks. I don’t know which reliever, but Justin Lawrence is very Yankees-like (25.1% strikeouts, 50.1% grounders, 4.2% barrel rate in 2022). The downside is he is out of minor league options.

Colorado has a Competitive Balance Round B pick (No. 65 overall). The Yankees should ask for it in a Kiner-Falefa trade. It comes with a $1.1M or so bonus slot and would help restock the cupboard after the Yankees forfeited their second and fifth rounders to sign Carlos Rodón. Kiner-Falefa to the Rockies feels far, far more likely than Kiner-Falefa to the Dodgers.

Yankees seeking catching depth

Not a surprise here: Erik Boland says the Yankees are looking to add catching depth, particularly a player with MLB experience. Josh Breaux (elbow), Ben Rortvedt (aneurysm), and Austin Wells (rib) are all injured and likely to miss the start of the regular season. That’s the two Triple-A catchers and the Double-A starting catcher. The projected Opening Day catching depth chart:

• MLB: Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka
• Triple-A: Rodolfo Durán and I guess Mickey Gasper? (Breaux and Rortvedt hurt)
• Double-A: Anthony Seigler and Carlos Narvaez (Wells hurt)
• High-A: Antonio Gomez and Ben Rice
• Low-A: Agustin Ramirez and Alex Guerrero

Durán had a .266 OBP in Double-A last year and the Yankees are a Higashioka or Trevino injury away from having him on the bench. Gasper’s not even a full-time catcher. He was drafted as a catcher, though he’s played mostly first base as a pro, and he’s caught only 29 games the last two years. The Yankees are one more injury away from being really up against it behind the plate.

Gary Sánchez and Robinson Chirinos are the only notable free agent catchers with MLB time. I can’t see a Sánchez reunion happening. Chirinos? Eh, maybe. He played 13 games with Triple-A Scranton in 2021 and it would’ve been more had an errant pitch not broken his wrist in Spring Training. There’s some familiarity there. Chirinos could be a consideration.

Maybe the Yankees are waiting for opt outs? Sandy Leon (Rangers), Roberto Pérez (Giants), and Kevin Plawecki (Pirates) are all on minor league contracts, and as players with 6+ years of service time, their contracts automatically include an opt out five days before Opening Day. That is Saturday, March 25th. That’s a long time to wait, but it might be the Yankees’ best (only?) option.

Veteran lefty relievers signing

Brad Hand ($2M to the Rockies) and Will Smith ($1.5M to the Rangers) signed incentive-laden one-year contracts over the weekend. It’s only a matter of time until Zack Britton latches on somewhere, and the prices right now are team-friendly. The Cubs are said to be in the mix for bullpen help. Injuries can always create a need elsewhere around the league too.

Opening Day is still three weeks away, but the Yankees are running out of time to re-sign Britton and make me look smart. Not because I want the Yankees to re-sign him. Because all offseason I said I expect the Yankees to re-sign him. Perhaps Tommy Kahnle’s injury opens the door for Britton? Kahnle is an unconventional lefty specialist thanks to his changeup. We’ll see. We’ll see we’ll see we’ll see.

4. Prospect notes. Got a few quickie prospect notes I want to touch on. Before we get to them, here's video of OF Spencer Jones taking RHP Sean Hermann deep on the backfields. Both are among my top 30 prospects. Now to the notes.

Dunham dealing with shoulder issue

OF Elijah Dunham, my No. 18 prospect, is currently sidelined with a shoulder issue. He played in the second Grapefruit League game last Sunday and hasn’t been seen since. This explains it. The Yankees sent Dunham to minor league camp as part of their first roster cut this past weekend.

“He’s starting to ramp up again today (Sunday), so he should be alright in a few days,” Aaron Boone told Max Goodman about Dunham’s injury. The caveat here is Boone always downplays injuries, so take “he should be alright in a few days” with a grain of salt.

Dunham, 24, slashed .248/.348/.448 (118 wRC+) with Double-A Somerset last season, including .262/.369/.466 against righties (.195/.268/.379 against lefties). He projects to be a lefty hitting platoon corner outfielder and will move up to Triple-A Scranton this year. That puts him on the MLB radar. A midseason call up is possible as long as Dunham is healthy.

Even if Willie Calhoun or Rafael Ortega sneaks onto the Opening Day roster, the Yankees have enough Triple-A outfield depth should Dunham miss time: Calhoun, Ortega, Michael Hermosillo, Billy McKinney, and Jeisson Rosario. And no, the Yankees won’t send Jasson Domínguez right to Triple-A just because he hit a few homers the first week of Grapefruit League play.

(In other “hey, where’d this prospect go?” news, RHP Randy Vásquez has not pitched since the Grapefruit League opener last Saturday. Assuming a normal five-day schedule, he’s only missed one appearance since then, and he was on Monday’s bullpen session list, so he’s healthy. Vásquez likely threw live batting practice last week rather than pitch in a spring game.)

Gil has a fourth option

According to Eric Longenhagen, RHP Luis Gil has a fourth minor league option. That won’t come into play this year because Gil will spend the season on the Major League injured list rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but it means the Yankees can send him to Triple-A next year. They won’t have to keep him on their big league roster or expose him on waivers.

Gil, my 11 prospect, had his elbow rebuilt last May 24th and he is playing catch at 120 feet right now. He is right on schedule with his rehab. The next step is throwing off a half-mound, then a full mound, then a few weeks of bullpen sessions, then facing hitters in live batting practice, then eventually rehab games. Tommy John surgery rehab is long and grueling.

Pitchers get a 30-day minor league rehab window, though teams can request a second 30-day rehab window for Tommy John surgery guys. Given the late May surgery date, Gil should begin pitching in rehab games sometime in July, and the two 30-day rehab windows would cover the rest of the minor league season.

That means Gil could get two months of minor league games this year without being activated off the injured list and optioned, then next year the Yankees could use the fourth option to send him to Triple-A. They have a little more 2024 roster flexibility now. No need to force post-Tommy John surgery Gil on the MLB roster next season. A minor league stint is available should it be needed.

Medina also has a fourth option

The Athletics optioned RHP Luis Medina to Triple-A over the weekend, the team announced. The Yankees sent Medina to the A’s in the Frankie Montas trade and he qualified for a fourth minor league option. Why? I do not know, but he did. Medina used his three options in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and he never spent time on the injured list those years.

My question is why does OF Estevan Florial not have a fourth option? Like Medina, Florial used his three options from 2020-22 and he did not spend any time on the injured list those years. Does it have to do with his big league call ups? It has to, right? No idea what else it could be. I don’t understand the fourth option rules at all. They seem to change every year.

5. Rapid fire thoughts. According to Joe Lemire, MLB executive Morgan Sword said at the Sloan Sports Conference last week the biggest lingering issue with the automated strike zone is the strike zone itself. The system has no trouble tracking pitches, but the shape of the zone is a work in progress. I assume because everyone’s strike zone is a different size. MLB is working on it and we’re getting closer to seeing the automated zone in the big leagues, though there’s still some hurdles to clear … And finally, the World Baseball Classic begins Tuesday night. Here’s the full schedule. Kyle Higashioka (USA), Jonathan Loáisiga (Nicaragua), and Gleyber Torres (Venezuela) all begin play Saturday, which is chaos day. The only day with eight WBC games. The first starts at 5am ET and the last starts at 11pm ET. Fun fun fun. I'm looking forward to the WBC. It’s always a blast.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)