About Yesterday's Off-Day: Roster Moves

by Tim Kabel

June 2, 2023

***

The Yankees had a day off yesterday after winning two out of three games against the Seattle Mariners. Tonight, they open a three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Yesterday, they made they made some roster moves.

Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, and Tommy Kahnle were reinstated to the roster while Franchy Cordero, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Matt Krook were sent to the minor leagues. Let's take a look at some of these moves.

The biggest addition is Giancarlo Stanton. When he is healthy, and hitting well, he is still a major force in the game. He lengthens the lineup and adds a tremendous threat to the Yankees' offense. The problem with him has always been keeping him on the active roster. He is as fragile as a glass sculpture of a butterfly. Hopefully, his injury this year was early enough in the year that he will be able to contribute well into the second half and down the stretch. He was hitting well before he was injured.

Stanton essentially replaces Franchy Cordero, who is a marginal player at best. Yes, he has some impressive skills, but he has never been able to put them together for any significant period of time. The Orioles cut him after a very strong spring training and they just signed Aaron Hicks so, that tells you all you need to know. It's conceivable that Cordero could appear in a Yankee uniform again this season, but I think it's fairly unlikely.

The Yankees have been waiting to get Tommy Kahnle on the roster all season. Now that he is healthy, he could be a major contributor out of the bullpen. Someone had to go to make room for him. I don't know if Matt Krook was the right choice. I don't know if he was the wrong choice. He was only here for a few days, and Aaron Boone never put him in a game. Krook pitched very well in spring training and dominated in the minor leagues, which is why he earned the promotion. He is also a lefty. The only other left-handed relief pitcher on the Yankees is Wandy Peralta, who seems to pitch every day.

My issue is that Boone didn't bother to put Krook in a single game. We don't know what he can do on this level because he wasn't given an opportunity. With the addition of Kahnle and the redistribution of roles in the bullpen, maybe it would have made more sense to keep Krook as opposed to Albert Abreu or Ryan Weber.

Boone did the same thing last year with Ben Rortvedt. When Jose Trevino was on paternity leave, Rortvedt was called up. Boone did not put did not put him in a single game. This year, when Trevino was on the IL, Rortvedt came up again but was used sparingly. Kyle Higashioka is an adequate backup. and he had a good game the other day but, he is 33 years old and is very limited. Rortvedt is in his mid 20's and was hitting well in Scranton. I'm not saying that Rortvedt should have stayed on the roster when Trevino came back but, would it have hurt to give him a little more playing time on the Major League level?

Josh Donaldson was struggling before he was injured, and he had an awful year offensively last year. The reality is that he has four months left as a Yankee. There is no way the team will bring him back next year. Boone has indicated that Donaldson will reclaim his role as the starting third baseman. I certainly hope that he has a very short leash in that role. The Yankees cannot afford to watch him flail away helplessly for the rest of the season. There is no reason to. The deeper we get into the season, the less problematic it is to cut him loose. When they reach the halfway point of the season, cutting him loose would only cost about $12 million, plus the $8 million buy out for next year. They bit the bullet on $27 million when they cut Hicks. If Donaldson cannot produce offensively, he should not be allowed to be on the team.

As most of you know, I have a very high opinion of Oswaldo Cabrera. Yet, I think sending him down to the minor leagues at this point was the right move. I think if he stayed here much longer, his confidence could have been severely damaged. He needs to go down to Scranton and start putting up offensive numbers. Eventually, he will be back. He can play anywhere on the field, and I believe he will hit again.

I think that Cabrera's struggles offensively fit into a pattern. Aaron Boone has not shown the ability to develop young players. The only player you could say he helped influence was Gleyber Torres, but he has been extremely inconsistent. Even Anthony Volpe is struggling but thank goodness, he has not been yanked in and out of the lineup the way that Cabrera was. He has been moved up and down in the batting order but, he is still the starting shortstop. I think he should remain the starting shortstop for the foreseeable future. He has shown enough positive signs and growth to deserve that.

I have often written about my concept of Boone-proofing this team. I think in particular, the young players need to be Boone-proofed. My only concern with Volpe is that Boone will tinker with him too much and derail his development. I originally thought Oswald Peraza should have been the starting shortstop this season and that Volpe should have been groomed to play second base. I have changed my mind.

Once Volpe was given the shortstop job in spring training, I felt that it should have been his for good, unless he became a total flop. He hasn't been. However, it is impossible to ignore what Oswald Peraza is doing in Scranton. He is hitting well over .340 with 9 home runs in 95 at bats. If he keeps this up, he will force the Yankees to bring him up. When they do, he should not play shortstop, unless Volpe is injured.

The question is, what do you do with Peraza when you bring him up? I think there is an easy answer. Gleyber Torres is having a solid season and is much more consistent overall than he has been in the past few years. He has made some fine plays at second base but on occasion, he has been a little shaky too. Regardless, asking him to shift positions again would be a bit much. He should stay at second base. Peraza should play third base.

Let me ask one question: Who has a greater upside as the Yankees third baseman, Josh Donaldson, or Oswald Peraza? Donaldson is on the downside of his career, and only has a few months left on his contract. He won't be here next year. If he struggles beginning tomorrow night, which I believe will happen, he should be replaced by Peraza.

if you remove the pitchers from the equation because they have Matt Blake and his staff as buffers between them and Boone, you can see that Boone has not had a great deal of success working with and developing young players. Although he was touted as a great communicator, that does not seem to be the case. Young players need a lot of extra attention and support. It's the same with any career. In my job, I have worked with many trainees over the years. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of explaining but, most of the time it is worth it. Boone has not demonstrated any proficiency at guiding young players forward in their careers.

I think Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have made it clear that they want Anthony Volpe to be the starting shortstop. Boone still has a lot to do with his development as a player. Volpe also seems to be very confident, which he needs to be. Hopefully, Boone will not disrupt his development. If he isn't going to do much to help him develop, at the very least, he can stay out of the way.

When Oswald Peraza eventually and inevitably comes up, and when Oswaldo Cabrera returns, Boone needs to play them regularly and let them find their way. It would be pointless to bring Peraza up to the major leagues just to have him sit on the bench while Donaldson continues to deteriorate before our eyes or IKF plays multiple games at third base.

So, the Yankees made a few moves yesterday. It will be interesting to see how those moves shake out for the rest of this season. If we are watching Josh Donaldson as the everyday third baseman in the middle of August, hitting .212 with 5 home runs, while Oswald Peraza is hitting .335 with 19 home runs in Scranton, it will be a problem for those two players, the fans, and more importantly, the team as a whole.