Yankees To Shut Down Promising Infielder After Injury

The New York Yankees will need to find some infield depth after an injury to a top prospect.

The New York Yankees will shut down infielder Oswald Peraza for anywhere from six to eight weeks after imaging revealed an injury to his shoulder.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, including MLB.com, that Peraza’s imaging showed he had a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder.

Peraza will sit for anywhere from six to eight weeks and will then be re-evaluated. The length of the time he is being shut down could be concerning.

He had already missed 10 days in spring training due to shoulder discomfort. He played in two games earlier this week but the pain persisted, which led to the MRI.

If Peraza is shut down for the minimum of six weeks, that would allow him to return to baseball activities in the middle of April. After that he would need time to ramp up to play in a game and likely need a rehabilitation assignment at a Yankees affiliate.

It’s likely he won’t return to the field in the Bronx until at least May.

The Yankees would appear to have a set starting lineup going into the season, barring further injury. Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres are in the middle infield, while DJ LeMahieu is expected to start at third while Anthony Rizzo, who is now healthy, will start at first base.

But Peraza has a strong enough glove to play multiple positions, which would have made him a valuable back-up.

His bat at the Major League level needs some work. He followed up his .306 batting average in a short stint in 2022 with a .191 average in 157 plate appearances last season as he split time between the Yankees and Triple-A.