Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Oswald Peraza Crushes First MLB Home Run

Peraza continues to swing a hot bat, taking advantage of playing time since being called up last month.

Max Goodman

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Yankees prospect Oswald Peraza has been making an impact in limited playing time since being called up at the beginning of September when rosters expanded. 

On the penultimate day of the regular season, the infielder flashed some of his power for the first time.

Peraza drilled a hanging slider from Rangers right-hander Jon Gray in the second inning on Tuesday afternoon, smashing his first MLB home run to left at Globe Life Field in Texas. The blast traveled 399 feet for Peraza, a 104.6-mph missile.

Immediately following the home run, Peraza is slashing .350/.435/.500 (14-for-40) in 17 games played with the big-league club. He's caught fire of late as well, hitting .500 in his last five games (8-for-16).

In Peraza's next at-bat, the prospect singled, stole second and scored on a run-scoring single from Marwin Gonzalez, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead.

Peraza, 22, is ranked as the Yankees' No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He was spectacular in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before getting called up last month, batting .259/.329/.448 with 19 home runs, 50 RBI, 57 runs scored and 33 stolen bases in 99 games with the RailRiders. 

When he was promoted, Peraza was getting an opportunity to experience the big leagues, preparing to stick around with the Yankees next season and beyond. Now, with how well he's been playing, Peraza should be in consideration for a spot on New York's postseason roster.

In all likelihood, he'll be on the outside looking in when the American League Division Series begins on October 11. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is still New York's starting shortstop while a slew of players on the active roster—Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson, Gonzalez and fellow rookie Oswaldo Cabrera—are jockeying for playing time in the infield. 

That said, if the Yankees roll with 12 pitchers for the ALDS and add an extra position player, Peraza might have his number called. Either way, this glimpse of what Peraza can do is encouraging for 2023 and beyond. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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