Some seasons test a team’s depth. Others expose it. Right now, New York Yankees fans are watching the latter unfold in real time.
Injuries have gutted the infield. Jazz Chisholm is out for at least a month, and thin depth has turned into daily panic.
The Yankees are being forced to lean on options that were supposed to be last resorts. Now, they’re everyday fixtures—and the results speak for themselves.
Peraza keeps getting chances, but the bat just isn’t there
Oswald Peraza was once a top infield prospect. Now, he’s become the backup plan the Yankees wish they didn’t need.
Defensively, he holds his own. But that’s no longer enough.
Through 16 games, Peraza is hitting just .205 with a .612 OPS, offering almost nothing in terms of power or clutch hitting.
He’s striking out 25% of the time and doesn’t make hard contact, ranking well below average in barrel and hard-hit rates.
In today’s MLB, glove-first players aren’t rare. What the Yankees need is a bat that can shift momentum.
Peraza isn’t offering that. And the lineup is suffering.
Cabrera’s limitations shrink the team’s flexibility
The Yankees hoped Oswaldo Cabrera could at least hold third base down until reinforcements arrived. That plan hasn’t aged well.
Cabrera struggles significantly against left-handed pitching, which forces manager Aaron Boone to pull him in key matchups.
That usually means inserting Peraza—again—a player with limited upside at the plate and minimal run production.
It’s a puzzle with no perfect pieces. Every solution leads to a new problem.
The team can’t afford to carry multiple offensive liabilities in a lineup already dealing with Cody Bellinger’s cold streak.
Vivas shows promise, but he’s not a full-time answer yet
One of the few bright spots has been Jorbit Vivas, who’s quietly turning heads with competitive at-bats and some on-base skills.
Through a small sample, Vivas holds a .400 OBP and has shown poise that the others simply lack right now.
But he’s not a full-time solution—not yet. The Yankees are being careful with his usage and don’t want to rush his development.
Still, in a group that includes Peraza and Pablo Reyes, Vivas might be the only one offering any offensive spark.
Trade deadline could force Brian Cashman’s hand
In a perfect world, the Yankees wouldn’t be relying on this cast of infielders to get them through May and June.
They’d already have reinforcements lined up or stashed in Triple-A, but that’s not the case.
General manager Brian Cashman may have no choice but to make a move before the deadline—especially if Chisholm’s injury lingers.
The Yankees need an infielder who can provide power and reliability, not just glove work and stopgap moments.
The pressure’s mounting, and this roster won’t hold up forever.
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