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Yankees To Promote Everson Pereira, Oswald Peraza

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The Yankees are promoting outfield prospect Everson Pereira before tomorrow’s series opener against the Nationals, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network (Twitter link). Infielder Oswald Peraza is also being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to Curry. Both players are already on the 40-man roster, so New York will only need to make corresponding active roster transactions.

Pereira, 22, is headed to the majors for the first time. A native of Venezuela, he was one of the better prospects in the 2017-18 international signing class. While he didn’t have particularly flashy tools, he landed a $1.5MM bonus based on his advanced offensive ability and the chance to stick in center field. He has lived up to that billing by producing at every minor league stop, typically against older competition.

Early-career injuries and the pandemic cancelation of the 2020 minor league campaign meant Pereira didn’t reach full season ball until 2021. He played well enough there for the Yankees to add him to the 40-man roster at year’s end to ensure another club didn’t take him as a developmental flier in the Rule 5 draft. He spent most of last season in High-A, earning a brief look late in the year with Double-A Somerset.

Optioned back to Somerset to open 2023, Pereira hit .291/.362/.545 in 46 games. The Yankees bumped him to Scranton in early July and he’s responded with a .312/.386/.551 showing through 35 contests. Between the top two minor league levels, he has a .300/.373/.548 line over 343 plate appearances. He has connected on 18 home runs and stolen 11 bases in 13 attempts.

Despite the lofty batting average, Pereira hasn’t been an elite contact hitter. He’s gone down on strikes at a lofty 28.6% clip on the season. Pereira has hit for power and walked at a solid 9.3% rate to post strong numbers overall, though prospect evaluators have expressed concern about the swing-and-miss in his game.

Pereira has split his defensive work almost evenly between the three outfield spots. Scouting reports peg him as a viable if unexceptional center fielder. The Yankees figure to break him in at left field alongside Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader. They’ve given most of their left field work of late to Jake Bauers. The left-handed hitter had started his Yankee tenure well but has fallen into a .178/.247/.370 funk while striking out over 43% of the time since the All-Star Break.

Peraza has been on and off the MLB roster on a few occasions. A highly-regarded prospect in his own right, he’s hitting .268/.357/.479 in 63 Triple-A contests on the year. Peraza has scuffled in scattershot MLB time this season but had an impressive 18-game debut in 2022.

The impressive upper minors numbers for each player gets them a look on a free-falling New York club. The Yankees have dropped eight straight and sit at 60-64 after being swept by the Red Sox over the weekend. They’re 26-40 since the start of June and almost certainly going to miss the postseason for the first time in seven years.

Perhaps the promotions of Pereira and Peraza can inject some life into a struggling offense, but their calls seem more about evaluating the 2024 roster. They’re each highly-regarded young players who could plausibly play regular roles next season. Brendan Kuty of the Athletic tweets that both are expected to be everyday players for the stretch run. New York has had no stability in left field all season. Bader and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (who has taken over as the primary third baseman) are impending free agents.

Pereira and Peraza each appear on the back half of Baseball America’s recent Top 100 prospects update. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN included Pereira as an honorable mention behind his own Top 50 refresh. While Peraza will exceed rookie eligibility at season’s end, Pereira will remain rookie eligible so long as he takes fewer than 130 MLB at-bats. As with a number of other recent prospect promotions, that could be a meaningful distinction.

Teams that carry a prospect who appears on two of three Top 100 lists at Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline for a full service year during their rookie seasons can receive a bonus draft choice under the Prospect Promotion Incentive. Pereira isn’t necessarily a lock to meet that prospect standard but certainly has a chance to qualify, particularly if he plays well down the stretch. If he does and the Yankees carry him on next year’s Opening Day roster, he could earn them an extra draft choice with a Rookie of the Year win or top-three finish in MVP balloting during his pre-arbitration seasons.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Pete Alonso’s Future, Yankees’ Rotation Troubles and Should the Trade Deadline Be Pushed Back?

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • Should the trade deadline be moved back, as has been considered by some? (1:15)
  • Mets need to pick a lane with Pete Alonso (9:35)
  • Yankees’ rotation is dealing with injuries again (14:15)

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • How can the Cardinals get in shape this offseason? (20:05)
  • Can the Mariners line up on a trade with the Cards? (24:10)
  • What will be the biggest needs for the Diamondbacks this winter? (27:00)
  • What does Mitch Garver’s free agency look like this winter? (28:30)

Check out our past episodes!

Nestor Cortes’ Season In Jeopardy After Second Rotator Cuff Strain

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The Yankees announced they’ve recalled right-handers Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez. One roster spot was opened when left-hander Nick Ramirez was optioned to Triple-A yesterday. The other corresponding move is lefty Nestor Cortes landing on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 8, with a left rotator cuff strain.

Cortes told reporters that while surgery isn’t under consideration, he’ll be shut down from throwing entirely for around one month (relayed by Brendan Kuty of the Athletic). Given that timetable, skipper Aaron Boone acknowledged it’s unlikely the southpaw will make it back this season, though the club hasn’t officially ruled him out for the year (via Erik Boland of Newsday).

The ’23 campaign has been exceedingly frustrating for last year’s eighth-place Cy Young finisher. Cortes strained his hamstring in February, knocking him out of the World Baseball Classic and putting him behind the eight ball in his ramp-up. He was able to return by the start of the season but didn’t pitch as well as anticipated through 11 starts. During the first week of June, Cortes suffered a rotator cuff strain that wound up costing him around two months.

He returned from that rehab last weekend but managed only one four-inning outing before the injury resurfaced. Given the month-long shutdown and need to subsequently restart the rehab process, it seems a similar absence could be on the table. With less than two months to go in the regular season, there might not be enough time for him to return to the mound.

Cortes has made 12 starts overall, working to a 4.97 ERA over 63 1/3 frames. It’s a far cry from last year’s 2.44 ERA, though that always seemed likely to regress. Cortes still struck out over a quarter of opponents with a solid 7.5% walk percentage, with a spike in home runs and an uptick in the average on balls in play against him contributing to the less impressive results.

The 28-year-old is playing this season on a $3.2MM arbitration salary. He’ll receive a raise — albeit a fairly modest one — on that next winter and is eligible for arbitration twice more. Even if he can’t make it back this season, Cortes should be a key part of the projected starting staff heading into 2024.

New York’s short-term rotation outlook is far less settled. Injuries have cost Frankie Montas the season to date and shelved Cortes and Carlos Rodón on multiple occasions. Gerrit Cole has been phenomenal and Clarke Schmidt has settled in after a rocky April, but the rest of the group has struggled.

Luis Severino has been one of the worst pitchers in the league, posting an 8.06 ERA across 14 outings. Were the Yankees in a better position, they quite likely would’ve bumped him from the rotation by now. With so many injuries, Severino has tenuously held his rotation spot. Boone told reporters this afternoon he’s likely to get another start on Tuesday against Atlanta (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Brito and Vásquez are likely to fill out the rotation for now.

White Sox Claim Deivi Garcia

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2:34pm: The White Sox announced that they have indeed claimed Garcia off outright waivers. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Liam Hendriks moves from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

1:27pm: The White Sox have claimed right-hander Deivi Garcia off waivers from the Yankees, reports Erik Boland of Newsday. The Yankees had designated the former top prospect for assignment earlier in the week. The teams have not yet announced the move (or, in Chicago’s case, a corresponding 40-man transaction).

Garcia, 24, was considered one of the sport’s top pitching prospects not long ago, ranking on most top-100 lists prior to both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The right-hander blitzed through the lower minors after signing as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic, reaching the Double-A level as a 19-year-old back in 2018. He had success both in High-A and Double-A the following year before being hit hard in Triple-A, but struggling at the minors’ top level as a 20-year-old facing vastly older competition hardly stood as any kind of red flag.

The canceled 2020 minor league season could well have impacted Garcia more than many other prospects. With no minor league games in which to play, he was rushed to the big leagues as a 21-year-old, turning in a 4.98 ERA in six starts (34 1/3 innings). His 22.6% strikeout rate and 4.1% walk rate were both encouraging, but Garcia was tagged for six home runs in that debut effort and struggled to strand runners once he’d allowed them to reach.

As with his 2019 struggles as one of the youngest players at the Triple-A level, however, Garcia’s lackluster 2020 results weren’t considered particularly damning. Jumping to the big leagues as a 21-year-old with only 40 innings of Triple-A experience is hardly an easy task, and at insofar as his ability to miss bats and limit walks, he more than held his own. The next two years, however, told another story.

From 2021-22, Garcia logged only 8 1/3 big league innings. In 2021, that was at least partially due to a lack of opportunity. The ’21 Yankees received 29 or more starts from each of Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon, with another 18 from Domingo German, 16 from Corey Kluber and 14 from Nestor Cortes. There weren’t many extra starts to go around, but Garcia’s performance didn’t necessarily merit much of a look anyway. He was torched for a 6.85 ERA in 90 2/3 innings at Triple-A that season, and his 2022 results weren’t any better; Garcia logged a combined 6.89 ERA in 64 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in ’22. He didn’t pitch in the Majors that season.

It’s been largely the same in 2023. A move to the bullpen in Triple-A hasn’t been much help, evidenced by a 5.67 ERA and sky-high 14.6% walk rate in 48 innings. Garcia allowed just one run in 5 2/3 big league frames earlier in the year, but he did so with more walks issued (four) than strikeouts (three). Command has emerged as a major problem for the right-hander, who’s doled out a free pass to 14.2% of his opponents en route to a 6.52 ERA in 214 career innings at Triple-A.

There were always some concerns about the manner in which Garcia would be able to handle a starter’s workload. Listed at 5’9″ and 165 pounds, he’s considerably slighter in frame than the overwhelming majority of big league starters. Garcia indeed has spent time on the injured list in each of the past three seasons, and his fastball velocity has fluctuated accordingly. He averaged 95.1 mph this year in a pair of relief outings — a notable bump from the 92.1 mph he averaged as a starter in the Majors from 2020-21.

Whether the White Sox plan to use Garcia as a starter or reliever isn’t clear at this point, but he’s spent the bulk of the ’23 season coming out of the Scranton bullpen. For a Chicago team that’s already waved the white flag on the 2023 season, there’s plenty of sense in scooping up a former top prospect and seeing if a change of scenery can do him any good. Garcia is in his final minor league option year, meaning he can be sent to Triple-A for the remainder of the current season without needing to go through waivers. However, he’ll be out of options next spring, so the Sox will need to either keep him on the Opening Day roster or designate him for assignment themselves — if he’s even able to stick on the 40-man roster that long.

The White Sox currently have baseball’s fourth-worst record, which gave them waiver priority over all but three teams. Each of the A’s, Royals and Rockies apparently passed on placing a claim on Garcia. The Rays were among the other teams to place a claim on Garcia today, tweets Boland, though Tampa Bay has the third-best record in MLB (and thus the third-lowest waiver priority).

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: The Streaking Mariners, the Struggling Angels and Injured Aces

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • The scorching hot Mariners (2:15)
  • The ice cold Angels (6:20)
  • The Rangers will be without Josh Jung for a while, impacting them and the Rookie of the Year race (8:45)
  • Shane McClanahan could be out for the year and maybe part of 2024 as well (13:15)
  • Yankees put Carlos Rodón back on the injured list (18:35)
  • Red Sox get Trevor Story back (21:35)

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • Any chance that the Cubs try to sign Cody Bellinger to a long term deal? (24:35)
  • Of all the players on the Dodgers’ injured list, which will have the most immediate impact both now and for the postseason not named Clayton Kershaw? (30:15)
  • Are the Angels’ manager and general managers jobs respectively in jeopardy if they fail to make the playoffs? (33:25)

Check out our past episodes!

Yankees Designate Deivi Garcia For Assignment, Place Carlos Rodon On Injured List

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The Yankees announced a slate of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, most notably designating one-time top pitching prospect Deivi García for assignment and placing lefty Carlos Rodón on the 15-day IL with a strained hamstring. New York also reinstated Jonathan Loáisiga from the 60-day injured list — hence the need for a 40-man spot — and recalled lefty Nick Ramirez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

García was once viewed as a potential mid-rotation arm. The 5’9″ righty appeared among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects going into both 2020 and ’21. He debuted with six starts during the shortened campaign, posting decent strikeout and walk numbers despite an ERA pushing 5.00. At the time, it seemed he was in line for a permanent rotation spot in the near future. At the very least, his high-octane stuff was expected to play out of the bullpen.

Things didn’t play out that way. García was tagged for a 6.85 ERA at Triple-A in 2021. He only made two MLB appearances that season. He followed up with a 6.89 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A the following season. The Yankees abandoned hopes of García as a starter this year, using him in relief for all but one of his 28 minor league appearances.

It hasn’t translated to markedly improved results. The 24-year-old owns a 5.67 ERA through 46 frames with the RailRiders. His 20.5% strikeout percentage is a few points below average and he’s walking almost 15% of batters faced. After three seasons of subpar production in the upper minors, the Yankees no longer feel they can keep giving him opportunities to figure things out.

Since the trade deadline has come and gone, New York will have to place García on waivers. It’s no sure thing he’ll be claimed at this point, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if another club takes a flier on his former prospect status. García still has a reasonably live arm, averaging 94.9 MPH on his heater during a pair of big league appearances this summer. There are clearly significant command issues he’ll need to iron out if he’s to emerge as even a solid middle reliever. García is in his last option season; if another team claims him, they could keep him in Triple-A for the rest of the year but would have to carry him on next year’s big league roster (if he holds a 40-man spot all offseason).

While García’s DFA marks a painful concession by the organization that he hasn’t developed as hoped, the loss of Rodón is clearly a bigger impact in the short term. Fortunately, it’s not expected to be a serious issue. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters it’s a low-grade strain that isn’t expected to keep him out for much longer than the minimum (relayed by Greg Joyce of the New York Post).

Rodón has had a frustrating first season in the Bronx. The two-time All-Star dealt with forearm and back issues that cost him the first half of the year. Since returning, he’s been ineffective through six starts. He owns a 7.33 ERA with a notably decreased 20.5% strikeout rate and lofty 14.8% walk percentage over 27 innings. His velocity remains at the same level as it was when he was dominating hitters with the White Sox and Giants the last two years. The injuries have clearly kept him from finding any kind of consistency to this point in his Yankee tenure though.

Loáisiga has missed over three months after surgery to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow. He’s been limited to three appearances on the season. When healthy, the 28-year-old righty is one of New York’s better relievers. He racks up huge grounder rates and has a 3.53 career ERA.

Yankees Sign Zach McAllister To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees signed veteran right-hander Zach McAllister to a minor league deal over the weekend, per an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate. McAllister, a WME client, is already active in the organization, having pitched a scoreless inning for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

McAllister, 35, opted out of a minor league deal with the D-backs last week. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2018 but was a steady presence on Cleveland’s pitching staff for six years, logging a combined 3.84 ERA with roughly average strikeout/walk rates in 529 innings between the rotation and bullpen from 2012-17.

The deal with the Yankees is something of a homecoming for McAllister. New York selected him in the third round of the 2006 draft but traded him to Cleveland in 2010 as a player to be named later in return for outfielder Austin Kearns. He never appeared in a big league game with the Yankees before being shipped out. This reunion will give him another opportunity to do so in the season’s final couple months.

McAllister has pitched to a 4.81 ERA in 39 1/3 Triple-A frames this year, fanning 30.4% of his opponents against an 11% walk rate. The Yankees are the veteran right-hander’s fifth Triple-A stop since his last big league appearance in 2018. He’s also spent time with the Dodgers, Phillies, Cardinals and D-backs. McAllister logged a 3.99 ERA with the Cardinals’ top affiliate last year, punching out 30% of his opponents with Memphis. He’s maintained that strikeout rate this year, and if the Yankees need a depth arm in the bullpen at some point between now and season’s end, he’ll give them a veteran option.

Anthony Rizzo Discusses Post-Concussion Syndrome

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Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo went on the injured list last week with post-concussion syndrome following a collision with Padres start Fernando Tatis Jr. at first base back in May. Given Rizzo went from a clear All Star candidate (146 wRC+) to the worst hitter in the majors (43 wRC+) following the collision, the revelation that Rizzo has been dealing with concussion symptoms has sparked confusion regarding him continuing to play over the past two months. To that end, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner interviewed Rizzo regarding the situation, and in an article today discussed Rizzo’s slump over the past few months, his injury, how it was handled, and if he wishes anything had been done differently.

With Rizzo on the shelf without a timetable for return, the Yankees will look to salvage a season in which they sit 3.5 games out of a wild card spot despite a solid 58-53 record without their everyday first baseman and most reliable left-handed bat. Jake Bauers, who has hit well (122 wRC+) in a part time role with New York this season, has taken over at first base since Rizzo hit the IL.

Yankees Considering Move To Bullpen For Luis Severino

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  • Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated to reporters, including The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner, that “everything is on the table going forward” regarding right-hander Luis Severino, including a move to the bullpen. Once a rising star in the game as a reliable, front of the rotation arm, Severino has struggled massively in 13 starts this season with a 7.74 ERA and 6.56 FIP. Severino has made fifteen appearances out of the bullpen during his career to excellent results. He’s posted a microscopic 0.31 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout rate in 29 1/3 innings of work as a reliever. If Severino were to exit the rotation, that could open up starts for a younger arm like Jhony Brito or Randy Vasquez.

Yankees Activate Nestor Cortes From 60-Day Injured List

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TODAY: The Yankees officially activated Cortes.  Left-hander Nick Ramirez was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

AUGUST 3: The Yankees are planning to reinstate left-hander Nestor Cortes from the 60-day injured list Saturday, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters (Twitter link via Greg Joyce of the New York Post). Cortes, who’s been out since late May due to a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder, will return to the rotation and take the mound against the Astros.

Cortes, 28, returned to the Yankees (who selected him in the 36th round of the 2013 draft) in 2021 after spending a year in Seattle and enjoyed a breakout season that carried over into the 2022 campaign. From 2021-22, the southpaw turned in a sensational 2.61 ERA with a 26.9% strikeout rate, a 6.4% walk rate and just 1.07 homers allowed per nine innings pitched. His 2022 performance was strong enough to secure his first All-Star bid and to nab some down-ballot mentions in Cy Young voting, where he finished eighth.

Thus far, the 2023 season has been a massive departure from that success. Cortes has pitched to a 5.16 ERA while his strikeout, walk, ground-ball, home run and hard-hit rates have all trended in the wrong direction relative last season’s levels. Opponents hit just .189/.241/.313 against Cortes last season but were batting .253/.318/.450 against him in 59 1/3 innings before he was placed on the injured list. Cortes held his opponents scoreless in seven of his 28 starts last year and allowed just one earned run in nine of them. This year, he’s allowed at least one run in all 11 of his starts — and two or more in 10 of his 11 outings.

Glaring as this year’s struggles have been, the return of Cortes could provide a much-needed boost to a struggling Yankees staff. Luis Severino has been one of baseball’s worst starters this year, logging a 7.49 ERA in a dozen starts. Offseason signee Carlos Rodon has pitched to a 6.29 ERA in five starts since making an injury-delayed debut with the team. Domingo German recently entered treatment for alcohol abuse and will not return to the team this season.

As it stands, Gerrit Cole — in his typical Cy Young-caliber form — and Clarke Schmidt are the only two consistent performers on the active roster for Boone. Only time will tell which version of Cortes shows up, but even if he’s not pitching at his 2021-22 levels, he should be an upgrade to the staff. Cortes has made a pair of minor league rehab starts, both in Double-A, and allowed one run on six hits and a walk with nine punchouts in 6 1/3 frames.

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