PITTSBURGH — The end result of the Yankees’ game against the Red Sox on Thursday night was mostly meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
But watching Oswald Peraza round the bases on his two-run home run in the ninth inning — more of a fired-up sprint with plenty of emotion, including a fist pump — served as a reminder that there is still meaningful baseball to be played, especially for less-established players, such as the rookie infielder.
A year ago this month, Peraza was getting semi-regular playing time and making a case to be the Yankees’ starting shortstop this season.
This September, he is newly back in the big leagues trying to prove he can hit consistently and to figure out where he fits in the Yankees’ future.
Fellow rookie Anthony Volpe has entrenched himself at shortstop, performing better defensively than the Yankees expected, and he does not appear likely to move off the position anytime soon.
So where does that leave Peraza?
Third base, second base, a combination of the two, or eventually shortstop for another team?
It’s a question the Yankees are trying to figure out as they give Peraza regular at-bats and starts at third base over the final month of the season.
“You never know what’s going to shake out over the winter and what opportunities he takes advantage of, how your roster shakes out,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday before the Yankees’ 7-5 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park. “The only thing I can tell you is he’s a really talented defender, a really good shortstop, playing important games right now for him and his development, trying to stake his claim somewhere. We’ll see how it all shakes out. It’s been good to see him getting results lately and [Thursday] probably having his best day of at-bats.”
The 23-year-old Peraza, who brings an athleticism that the Yankees largely lack, extended his hitting streak to eight games with a ninth-inning single, giving him 16 hits over his last 11 games.
But Boone was especially pleased to see him drive the ball in the nightcap of the Thursday doubleheader against the Red Sox, ripping a double into the left field corner before crushing his first home run of the season over the Green Monster.
He pointed out that many of Peraza’s hits before that had been balls that got through the infield, but Thursday night looked different.
“He’s capable of that,” Boone said. “He’s capable of driving the ball, hitting the ball with authority on a line. He’s strong, he’s got bat speed; working through things mechanically to get in better striking position.”
If Peraza is able to prove he can drive the ball more consistently, it could go a long way toward solidifying his future. At what position, though, remains to be seen.
Besides Volpe at shortstop, the Yankees have Gleyber Torres under contract for one more year at second base, and infielder DJ LeMahieu under contract through 2026.
The Yankees could trade Torres this offseason to open up a more definite spot for Peraza, but the rookie would have to hold up his end of the bargain.
“He’s gotta continue to make adjustments,” Boone said. “He’s gotta continue to tighten up his mechanics that allow him to ultimately be consistent. That’s the thing — can he get to that level to where it allows him to be a big league hitter? A big league every day offensive player?
“There’s no question in my mind defensively. There’s no question in my mind he has the offensive tools and physical tools to do that. But he’s going to have to continue to make adjustments as well.”
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