HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 13: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees watches batting practice before game two of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on October 13, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
The Yankees need to find a shortstop capable of catapulting them into World Series contention. Here are five options New York is currently considering.
Yankees officials don’t know exactly when next season will begin, but there’s no doubt that finding a starting shortstop will be the team’s top priority when they’re permitted to do business again. Conventional wisdom believes Brian Cashman and his front office must go outside the organization to find the solution to the team’s biggest infield problem, but the idea that a current member of the organization might get a crack at the starting position should not be summarily dismissed.
This piece will identify the five most likely players to man the shortstop position for the Yankees on Opening Day. The order of this list might not please passionate fans in the Bronx, but this piece focuses on probability rather than high ceilings.
Yankees rumors: Who will be Opening Day shortstop?
5. Oswald Peraza
Anthony Volpe has the highest upside of any shortstop in the Yankees’ minor league system, but Peraza is closer to making an impact in the majors at this point in his young career. At the very least, he could give Aaron Boone a high-quality defensive option to help out his pitching staff on an everyday basis.
Clearly, this would represent an extreme fallback option for Brian Cashman and his front office. The virtual certainty that Spring Training will, at the very least, be truncated this season robs prospects like Peraza from playing their way onto the Opening Day Roster. Peraza starting on Opening Day can’t be ruled out, but it would represent a failure by New York’s front office.