Yanks bring up No. 3 prospect Everson Pereira

NEW YORK -- It’s time to play the kids.

Mired in their longest losing streak in decades, the Yankees are looking for some younger talent to provide a spark. The club promoted outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Oswald Peraza from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, ahead of a three-game series against the Nationals at Yankee Stadium.

In corresponding moves, New York placed outfielder Billy McKinney (left lower back spasm) on the IL and designated outfielder Greg Allen for assignment.

The Yankees lost their ninth straight game Tuesday night, 2-1 to the Nationals, to drop to 60-65. It's their longest losing streak since September 1982. New York has not finished with a record below .500 since 1992, a 30-year streak that ranks second in Major League history.

“Obviously with us scuffling, [we] felt like those two were deserving of an opportunity, deserving of a look,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Hopefully it's something that can spark us in the short term, but also get us a look at two guys we think could play an important role in our future.”

Pereira went 0-for-3 with a walk in his Major League debut and earned an assist in left field. Peraza, who will have a chance to stick in his third callup of the season, started at third base and went 0-for-4.

Pereira, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect and the game’s No. 80 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, has slashed .300/.373/.548 with 18 home runs and 64 RBIs in 81 games between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A in 2023. He is expected to see the majority of his time in left, where the Yankees have struggled to find consistency after opening the regular season with a combination of Oswaldo Cabrera and Aaron Hicks, though he is also capable of playing right and center field.

Peraza, rated as New York’s No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline at the time of his 2022 debut, is hitting .268 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs with the RailRiders in '23. A contender for the Opening Day shortstop job that went to rookie Anthony Volpe, the 23-year-old has also appeared in 19 games with the Yankees, hitting .173 with one extra-base hit. Peraza will likely get regular duty at third down the stretch, while also seeing time at second base and short.

“We're making a commitment to these guys that they're going to be playing regularly,” Boone said. “We're hoping that in the short term that's something that serves us well in the ability to win games -- bringing up talented players that can provide a spark and some athleticism.”

The youngsters know that as well, and they are eager to capitalize on the opportunity in front of them.

“They can expect to see a player that wants to win every day, regardless of what I need to do on the field,” Pereira said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “How do I do that? Just give it my 100 percent. It could be running the bases, it could be making a catch, it could be a hit or putting the ball in play. That’s what I like to do.”

The Yankees also promoted outfielder Jasson Domínguez, MLB Pipeline’s No. 79 overall prospect, from Somerset to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where the 20-year-old phenom known as "The Martian" made his Triple-A debut Tuesday. Domínguez slashed .254/.367/.414 with a .781 OPS in 109 games this year with Somerset.

“Moving up a level, playing against in a lot of ways older competition, [seeing] more savvy, nuanced things at Triple-A -- it's just the next step for him,” Boone said. “Having put together a really good Double-A season, and having over the last month been playing really, really well, it was important to get him there.”

While this eight-game skid has effectively squelched the Yankees’ faint hopes of competing for postseason play -- with Boone acknowledging that the club would have to play “unbelievable” in its remaining contests to squeak out a Wild Card berth -- they know that the farm system has upside that can be tapped into. Now, they're starting to showing it.

“We have some exciting young players, whether they're here now already or in our system, and in some cases, other guys still knocking on the door,” Boone said. “To be able to get a look up close with regular at-bats, to make stronger, better evaluations and expose them to tougher competition -- those are all important things moving forward to help you try and have a really good understanding of what you have.”