The Yankees have already lost Oswald Peraza this spring, and veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu suffered a significant bone bruise after fouling a ball off his right foot on Saturday. Already down two infielders, the Yankees desperately need more support and could look to the free agent or trade market to find some.
However, there was an opportunity to promote 23-year-old Jorbit Vivas, who had a solid spring after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers this off-season.
Vivas spent 109 games in Double-A last season, hitting .280/.391/.436, including 12 homers, 54 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases. He was eventually promoted to Triple-A, where he played 26 games, hitting .225/.339/.294. Clearly, he saw a regression in production, but Vivas has solid upside and the Yankees are excited about his growth this upcoming campaign.
The Yankees Re-assigned Vivas on Monday
Unfortunately, Vivas was reassigned to Triple-A Scranton on Monday despite the fact that LeMahieu and Peraza are both dealing with injuries that could knock them out for a few weeks. Jorbit played 14 games this spring, hitting .217 with a .419 OBP, including two homers and four RBIs.
Defensively, Vivas is more suited for second base but does have experience on the hot corner and played a few reps at shortstop for the Yankees this spring.
As a utility option, he certainly represents a cheap alternative, but the Yankees have been scouring the market for veterans. They were linked to Kikè Hernandez and Amed Rosario, but both signed with other teams before the Yankees could finalize a deal.
Expect general manager Brian Cashman to be busy over the next few days looking for infield support, especially after sending the Vivas down to the minors.
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