Report: Yankees to Call Estevan Florial Up From Triple-A
NEW YORK — As the Yankees' search for a spark continues, looks like New York is going to give one of their prospects a shot in pinstripes.
The Yankees are expected to promote outfielder Estevan Florial from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, per Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media.
Florial, 24, has had a strong season with the RailRiders, entering play on Tuesday hitting .284/.365/.487 with 14 home runs, 37 RBI and 32 stolen bases in 88 games.
Coincidentally, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about Florial and a possible promotion before Tuesday's game at Yankee Stadium.
"We've talked about him a lot," Boone said. "He's put together a really good year down there. So he's certainly earned putting himself in that mix."
Florial was ranked as New York's No. 1 prospect back in 2019, an outfielder that's made a few appearances with the Yankees over the years, but hasn't been able to stick around for longer than a handful of games.
The slugger outfielder is 7-for-34 (.206) over 16 games at the big-league level over the last three years. He's hit one home run, drove in two runs and struck out 12 times in a Yankees uniform.
Boone added that Florial has been held back in the past by injuries and a lack of consistency, slowing his development. He's had trouble limiting swings and misses throughout his career as well, a weakness in his game that has limited his power potential.
"I think this is the best year he's had in a while where he's been mostly healthy and put up a really productive offensive season that kind of matches up with the skill set and the tools that he's always flashed to us," Boone explained. "I feel like even in his short stints with us over the years, even in years where he hasn't had the kind of year he's having this year, he's represented well. You see it. This year, I think he's mostly been healthy and put that season together at a higher level in the minor leagues and hopefully that's something that is a sign of him getting ready to knock in and break through."
If Florial does get the call on Wednesday, New York has a few options regarding a corresponding roster move.
The Yankees could place DJ LeMahieu on the injured list with inflammation in his right big toe. Boone said Tuesday that New York will make a decision regarding a possible stint on the IL for LeMahieu on Wednesday, considering they've been playing with a short bench these last few days. LeMahieu has been day-to-day and unavailable since Saturday night.
LeMahieu is an infielder, though. When it comes to New York's outfielders, they could option Miguel Andújar or Tim Locastro back down to Triple-A.
They're stuck with Aaron Hicks, who is under contract through the 2026 season. Hicks plummeted to a new low earlier in the week and has struggled all year on both sides of the ball. New York could cut ties with veteran Marwin Gonzalez as well, who has barely played in his role off the bench over the last few months (although he started on Tuesday night).
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