The New York Yankees finally snapped their six-game skid on Sunday — but the more notable shift may be happening behind the scenes.
Everson Pereira, ranked among Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects in both 2023 and 2024, was pulled from the lineup at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. He wasn’t the only one—fellow outfielder Bryan De La Cruz was also scratched, adding to speculation.
While nothing is official yet, Pereira appears to be a strong candidate for a call-up.
The 24-year-old has been producing at a high level in Triple-A, slashing .262/.350/.514 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs across 56 games. His performance could provide the spark New York’s lineup has been missing.
At the start of their losing streak, the Yankees led the AL East by 1.5 games over the Toronto Blue Jays. But after being swept by the Jays and dropping a series to the Mets, they now trail Toronto by three games.
DJ LeMahieu, now 36, has posted a sub-100 OPS+ for a third straight season. On Tuesday, Aaron Boone confirmed that LeMahieu lost his starting spot at second base to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and clarified, “he will not be moved to third base in a position swap.”
Though Pereira and De La Cruz profile more as outfield/DH options, Pereira especially could bring some needed energy to a team still eyeing another deep postseason run. If he’s not promoted now, the Yankees could still choose to bring him up soon—possibly as an in-house solution ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
With options limited and trade prices soaring, the Yankees may be asking themselves whether one of their own prospects might be the better answer.
