Yankees Prospect Oswald Peraza Set to Begin Rehab Assignment

One of the Yankees' future stars is working his way back to the big leagues.

Oct 1, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Oswald Peraza (91) bats / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

One of the New York Yankees' future stars may be on his way back to the Bronx.

Highly-touted infielder Oswald Peraza is set to begin a rehab assignment with the Single-A Tampa Tarpons on Tuesday. This will be his first in-game action since spring training.

Back in March, Peraza was diagnosed with a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder that prevented him from throwing for 6-8 weeks. The 23-year-old has been on the injured list since the beginning of the season.

🚨JUST IN... 👉@Yankees INF Oswald Peraza is currently scheduled to commence an #MLB Rehab Assignment TONIGHT @GMSField!!

Get Your $2🎟️ for TONIGHT'S Tail Waggin' $2 Tuesday DOUBLE HEADER Presented By @TheVEGolution➡️ https://t.co/WoFVVblBAL

Game One Starts @ 4:00PM! 🎣 pic.twitter.com/puyMMbqDUG

— Tampa Tarpons (@TampaTarpons) May 7, 2024

The injury was a significant detriment to Peraza's development, as he has yet to prove that he's ready to play in the major leagues for good. The reason why he's been constantly shuffled between MLB and the minors is due to the Yankees' crowded infield of Gleyber Torres, Volpe, DJ LeMahieu, and Oswaldo Cabrera; the addition of Jon Berti shortly before Opening Day further exacerbates this. Even worse is that Peraza could have seen valuable playing time if he wasn't injured, as LeMahieu's own injury may have allowed Peraza to be the starting third baseman.

A popular name mentioned in trade scenarios, the Yankees have primarily used Peraza as a bench player in his very limited MLB stints. In 2022, he hit .306 in 18 games and was placed on the postseason roster. He subsequently entered 2023 as the favorite to win the starting shortstop job during spring training, but lost out to Anthony Volpe. Peraza would go on to play 63 games with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and 52 with the Yankees; at the MLB level, he hit just .191/.267/.272 with two home runs and 14 RBI.

Due to Cabrera holding his own at third base and Berti returning from the injured list to serve as a utility player, Peraza will either be a bench player in the majors or play regularly in Triple-A once he completes his rehab.