Battle for hot corner heating up in Yankees' camp

NORTH PORT, Fla. ¨C With a bit of d¨¦j¨¤ vu for the Yankees when it comes to DJ LeMahieu and Spring Training injuries, the young guns vying to be the Opening Day third baseman just saw their stock rise.

The timetable for LeMahieu¡¯s return is uncertain after he tweaked his left calf Saturday. LeMahieu, the front-runner to be the Yankees¡¯ third baseman, once again suffered a setback before the regular season.

That leaves a few options for manager Aaron Boone. There¡¯s Oswaldo Cabrera, the super-utility man who played every position other than catcher and center field for the club last year, including 74 games at third base.

There¡¯s Oswald Peraza, an infield Swiss Army knife in his own right. The Venezuelan appeared in four games for the Yankees last season, spending the majority of 2024 with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

There¡¯s also Pablo Reyes, who logged games at all four infield positions last year with the Red Sox and Mets.

Boone said all three are in the mix. The sports cliche of ¡°next man up¡± is an apropos way to describe the situation with LeMahieu injured.

Out of the above crop of talent ¨C and let¡¯s not forget about Jorbit Vivas, who has been nursing a sore shoulder ¨C Cabrera has seen the most time at the hot corner and is likely the leading candidate at this point to man the position.

¡°Regardless of anything going on with DJ, I very much envisioned Oswaldo in that mix, especially against right-handed pitching,¡± Boone said before Sunday¡¯s 11-1 loss to the Braves at CoolToday Park. ¡°We¡¯ll see how it shakes off ¨C if that means more playing time for [Cabrera], I don¡¯t know. How much does Peraza push himself into the mix as a real option, whether it¡¯s on a platoon scenario or what? It¡¯s not just a spring thing, it¡¯s something beyond, too.¡±

Cabrera said that while his playing time could be increased with the injury to LeMahieu, it¡¯s not the way he wants to become a mainstay.

¡°Obviously, you don¡¯t feel happy about it,¡± Cabrera said. ¡°It¡¯s a tough situation for DJ, and we know that that guy is really important for us. So I don¡¯t feel good about that news. At the same time, I¡¯m here to [do] my job. I¡¯m here to help the team. I¡¯m ready to work in whatever [position] that they want me to.¡±

Cabrera, who started at shortstop Sunday, turned 26 on Saturday. He¡¯s coming off a season in which he hit .247 in 109 games with an OBP of .296.

The switch-hitting Cabrera, who feels he can be an everyday player, has had some trouble with breaking balls, with a whiff percentage of 22.9% against them compared to 16.4% on fastballs. Seven of the eight home runs Cabrera hit last year came on the fastball, and he slugged .408 against the heater. He¡¯s also successful at hitting offspeed pitches, as he struck out just eight times against the pitch last year and hit .306.

How Cabrera fares against left-handed pitching is a factor in how Boone will use Cabrera. Against southpaws last season, Cabrera hit .190 in 79 at-bats. He drew one of his two walks against a lefty on Sunday, and he said he has worked this offseason to improve his swing from the right side.

The Venezuelan needs to learn that patience is a virtue, as he brings a 6.4% walk rate and 29.6% chase rate to his plate appearances.

¡°I¡¯m just trying to [pick up the shape of the ball] at the plate, trying to get the read,¡± Cabrera said. ¡°Just trying to get the best at-bats that I can one at a time.¡±

Peraza has shown some prowess with the bat early in camp. He¡¯s hitting .333 (4-for-12), including a 1-for-3 performance Sunday, when he started at third.

¡°I like how he looks so far,¡± Boone said. ¡°I feel there¡¯s an energy he¡¯s bringing to the field every day, which is important. You¡¯re seeing his defensive ability show. So far, he¡¯s put together pretty good at-bats, too, so he could very much play himself into the mix.¡±

The 24-year-old Peraza hit 16 home runs and drove in 63 runs at three Minor League levels last year, with 13 homers coming at Triple-A. In 74 Major League games, he has hit .216 and struck out 62 times.

¡°He¡¯s got talent,¡± Boone said. ¡°He¡¯s gone through some swing change things ¡­ but he has shown flashes of what could be. He¡¯s got some pop. He can run. He can really defend. It¡¯s really about him taking advantage of opportunities and proving himself day in and day out. It¡¯s that next level of consistency that is oftentimes a separator for guys.¡±