Brian Cashman: Yankees Shortstop Decision Will Come Down to 'Very end'

It's going to come down to the wire.

On Monday, general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone participated in a roster meeting, which included several members of the front office and coaching staff.

When asked about when he will make a decision on the shortstop competition, Cashman said it is going to come down to the "very end" of camp.

“Boonie and I will continue conversations, I can’t tell you when,“ Cashman said, via NJ.com. “We still have some time on the clock. We’ve had a good camp. A lot of good things to see. But we have time on the clock to make the final call."

With Isiah Kiner-Falefa being used as a super utility player, having not manned the shortstop position since March 8, it appears that the shortstop job has come down to two candidates: top prospects Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe.

While Peraza seems to be the current favorite, Volpe has had an excellent Spring Training. But Peraza might have the edge because he debuted at the end of last season and has more experience in Triple-A.

In addition to their shortstops, the Yankees have a surplus of major-league infielders on their 40-man roster, which includes DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Josh Donaldson and super utility man Oswaldo Cabrera.

Even still, Cashman asserted that the Yankees don't need to trade one of their infielders.

“We’ll make a move if there’s a benefit to doing so and if there isn’t then we won’t,” he said.

Torres could be the Yankees' best trade chip, as he is coming off a bounce-back year, in which he slugged 24 home runs. The Yankees also already tried him out at shortstop in 2021 and it was a disaster. This means Kiner-Falefa will likely be the Yankees' backup shortstop.

“We’ll stay engaged with the other clubs,” Cashman said. “Who knows? We’ll see.”

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