TAMPA — A top prospect who had been seen as a possibility to break camp with the Yankees given the uncertainty of Giancarlo Stanton has been slightly pushed to the background again.
Following a 9-1 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday at LECOM Park, the Yankees surprisingly optioned Everson Pereira to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The early decision — two weeks before Opening Day — also further raises eyebrows.
Outside of his power at the plate, Pereira was held at high value as a right-handed hitter on a team heavy with left-handers, especially in the DH pool of candidates.
It was viewed as a significant factor in Pereira possibly breaking camp with the team.
He was also on track to start playing in the outfield after undergoing Tommy John surgery on June 4 last season, but it’s possible the lack of defensive reps turned the Yankees’ head a different way.
Prior to the decision, Pereira said he tries not to think about the Stanton opening, but “feels ready” for the next step.
“I just try to do my job. I don’t want to expect something big, I just want to get healthy, get strong, and help my team,” Pereira told The Post on Tuesday.
In 2023, Pereira was called up to the majors for the first time and appeared in 27 games, but struggled to adjust to big league pitching, going 14-for-93 with 40 strikeouts.
However, Yankees hitting coach James Rowson had noticed improvement in the 23-year-old this spring.
“I like him. This spring, it looks like he’s really square and the baseball is up in terms of that,” Rowson said Tuesday. “I look at the spin a lot of times, and the ball is spinning in a really good way right now. He doesn’t have a lot of topspin or sidespin. He has a lot of backspin off the balls he is hitting. He’s got power. I mean, we know that. He can drive a baseball as good as anybody. Now, it’s a matter of just getting to that point consistently.”
This spring, Pereira is hitting .350 with a 1.090 OPS across nine games. He has tallied two home runs and three RBIs, but also recorded seven strikeouts.
The Yankees are seemingly opting for patience with Pereira, pushing for more consistent reps in the minors camp.
“You can see his confidence returning,” Brad Ausmus said. “Certainly, he’s a very good athlete and he’s got real power on the right side. So, he’s a guy that could be in the mix, if not now, certainly at some point during the season.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
