With Opening Day rapidly approaching, the New York Yankees are finalizing their roster decisions, particularly regarding infield depth at third base. Pablo Reyes, who arrived at spring training as a non-roster invitee, has unexpectedly distinguished himself and now stands poised to secure a spot on the 26-man roster. His impressive performance threatens Oswald Peraza‘s position, as the young infielder continues to struggle offensively.
YES Network analyst Jack Curry reports that Reyes’ adaptability and effectiveness against left-handed pitching position him as a strong candidate to share third base duties with Oswaldo Cabrera—a role many anticipated would belong to Peraza.
“Guys like [Pablo] always make you better,” Yankees hitting coach James Rowson explained to NJ Advance Media.. “To have a guy who’s got some experience, who’s been in a bigger market, who’s played before and had some success. He’s like a Swiss Army Knife. He can do everything for you. He has a lot of value, not only for us, but he has value in the game nowadays, those guys are valuable.”
Reyes pushing out Peraza from Yankees 3B contention
With DJ LeMahieu recovering from a calf injury, the Yankees have been exploring alternative third-base options. While Oswald Peraza initially seemed positioned for extended playing time at the hot corner, his continued offensive shortcomings have raised questions about his suitability.
Reyes: Unexpected challenger
At 31 years old, Reyes has quietly impressed this spring, posting a .322 batting average with an .805 OPS across 40 plate appearances. His career numbers against left-handed pitchers are particularly noteworthy—over six partial MLB seasons, he has produced a .284/.333/.442 slash line against southpaws.
His capacity to handle multiple defensive positions beyond catcher makes him an exceptionally valuable utility player for the Yankees. Manager Aaron Boone has highlighted his defensive versatility, stating he would feel confident deploying Reyes at any infield or outfield position. He finds “life” in Reyes’ bat with “great bat whip.”
“When I watch Reyes, I watch his hands,” the Yankees hitting coach added. “He’s quiet, quiet, quiet and then has whippy hands that create his power. It’s through bat speed. … He’s interesting because he can really sneakily put a charge into the ball at times.”
Peraza: Opportunity slipping away?
The 24-year-old Peraza has failed to establish offensive consistency since his much-anticipated 2022 debut. Through 74 major league games, he holds a career .216 batting average with a .297 on-base percentage. His difficulties against left-handed pitching are particularly concerning—he’s managed just a .150/.292/.217 line against lefties in his limited major league exposure.
This spring hasn’t shown improvement. Through 40 plate appearances, Peraza is batting a meager .194 with a .407 OPS.
Since Peraza has exhausted his minor-league options, the Yankees cannot assign him to Triple-A without exposing him to waivers. This situation increases the probability of a pre-opening Day trade.
Peraza trade possibilities before Opening Day?
With Peraza underperforming at the plate, the Yankees might explore the trade market for right-handed hitting talent.
- Peraza maintains trade value due to his defensive excellence at shortstop and third base, plus his prospect pedigree.
- The Yankees could include him in a package for a right-handed hitter to balance their increasingly left-handed lineup.
- A trade would enable the Yankees to retain Reyes while adding a stronger offensive contributor to their bench.
If the Yankees don’t complete a Peraza trade, they might still begin the season with him on the roster, then designated him for assignment shortly thereafter—similar to their handling of Estevan Florial last season.
Yankees trending toward Reyes over Peraza
The roster spot competition is further complicated by the Yankees’ first base and designated hitter situation. Should they decide to keep both Ben Rice and J.C. Escarra, they might need to sacrifice infield depth elsewhere, potentially favoring Reyes over Peraza.
If the Yankees select Reyes over Peraza, their Opening Day bench might feature the following:
- Ben Rice (1B/DH)
- Trent Grisham (OF)
- J.C. Escarra (1B/DH)
- Pablo Reyes (Utility INF/OF)
This configuration would offer positional flexibility, allowing the Yankees to cover multiple defensive roles with a mix of right-handed and left-handed batters.
With Reyes outperforming Peraza offensively while offering superior defensive versatility, the Yankees appear likely to favor him over their former top prospect.
If Peraza remains untraded, the Yankees face a challenging roster decision, as keeping both Reyes and Peraza would likely force Dominic Smith or another bench player off the team.
One reality is increasingly evident: Pablo Reyes is making himself virtually indispensable to the Yankees’ roster plans.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Peraza, like both Florial and Wade before him, only played when the Yankees needed him too. Each had multiple opportunities to play due to injury or guys not getting it done, but Cashman has refused to allow them. Say what you want about my comment, but the question everyone should be asking us: If these guys were never truly going to be given a chance here, why weren’t these guys traded away when they were asked about in trades when they were each top prospects?