The New York Yankees have some good news regarding the return of one of their lineup mainstays. According to Yankee skipper Aaron Boone, Jazz Chisholm Jr. will begin a rehab assignment this week.
The one-time All-Star was hitting .181 with seven home runs on the season before adding an oblique injury to his long list of prior injuries. But this much-welcomed good news will likely come with a disheartening break for one of the team’s top prospects.
Jorbit Vivas could be optioned by next week
Yankees’ no. 19 prospect, Jorbit Vivas, was called up twice prior to making his debut. When Chisholm fell on the injured list, the 24-year-old infielder finally got his chance.
At the time, Vivas was hitting .319/.426/.436 with two home runs in Triple-A. With a high batting average and a ratio of 15 walks to just eight strikeouts, Vivas was looking like an on-base machine in the making. Unfortunately, in his first glimpse of major league action, Vivas has yet to live up to this billing. In 19 games with the Yankees, Vivas is 6-for-39 with one home run. His 11 strikeouts far outpace his four walks.
Of the Yankees’ four options (Vivas, Oswald Peraza, Pablo Reyes, DJ LeMahieu), sending Vivas down when Chisholm returns makes the most sense. Peraza, a former top prospect, has no remaining minor league options. Sending him down would mean designating him for assignment; a move that could cost the Yankees if he were poached on the waiver wire by another team. Peraza, whose performance is on-par with Vivas, is hitting just .158/.229/.303 with two home runs. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Peraza ends up riding the waiver wire later this season; but given that there’s less risk in optioning Vivas, we can expect the Yankees won’t rush to fold on Peraza.
Reyes, who has also struggled in the majors, faces the same situation as Peraza since both are out of minor league options. However, since he can play all over the diamond, his presence on the roster provides the team more flexibility. LeMahieu, on the other hand, has seen more success than the other Yankee utility infielders despite his struggles. And at $15 million a year, he isn’t going anywhere.
