Peraza set to return; Kahnle playing catch-up

JUPITER, Fla. -- Oswald Peraza hasn’t played since Feb. 25 because of tightness in his right shoulder, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the infielder is “good to go” and will start Tuesday at second base against the Mets in Port St. Lucie.

“This is just how I kind of had the trip lined up,” Boone said before the Yankees' 3-2 victory over the Marlins under the lights. “We didn’t play him yesterday, and I wouldn't want to play him a day game after night game right out of the chute.”

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Peraza is competing for a utility spot, one that might have gone to Kiké Hernández had the Yankees been able to sign him. Hernández signed with the Dodgers last week and later revealed that the Yankees were the other finalist for his services.

“It's not necessarily something we're looking for,” Boone said when asked if the Yankees were still shopping for a utility player. “Kiké happened to be a guy that was of real interest. … We’re always looking. That one fell through, but we’ll see.”

Peraza is a front-runner to earn a utility spot out of camp. Based on what Boone has seen from the 23-year-old over the past couple years, the manager is confident that Peraza would be able to handle that role.

“You're always weighing with young players, especially ones that you could feel could [play] every day, weighing the give and take and the benefit of being here and being a part of things or playing every day,” Boone said. “He’s only played in a couple of games here, so first and foremost, just want to get him going and, hopefully, get him playing well. And then we'll make those kinds of decisions.”

Kahnle catching up
Clay Holmes is scheduled to make his 2024 Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday, and Jonathan Loáisiga is slated to pitch in a game for the first time later this week.

Tommy Kahnle, on the other hand, “is a little behind,” according to Boone, who said the right-hander is still building up following a shoulder issue that ended his season early last September. Kahnle “probably won't be in the game until more towards the end of spring,” the manager said.

Will Kahnle be ready to go by Opening Day?

“We'll see,” Boone said. “I think he'll be ready, but it's a matter of do we want him to have more games under his belt? That's what we have to decide.”

Hanging it up
Josh Donaldson announced his retirement on Monday, ending his 13-year career at the age of 38. Donaldson, who won the American League MVP award in 2015 while playing for the Blue Jays, spent 2022 and part of ’23 with the Yankees.

Donaldson’s tenure in the Bronx didn’t go as planned, as he missed 30 games in 2022 and played in only 33 games in 2023 before being released by the Yankees in late August. Donaldson hit 25 home runs with 77 RBIs and a .678 OPS in his 165 games in pinstripes.

“Obviously, it didn't go anywhere close to how he wanted to or we wanted to, necessarily, just from injury and performance,” Boone said. “But I respect the person and the player. He worked his ass off. He wanted it bad. He just kept getting tripped up, whether it was injury or whatever it may have been with us, where he wasn't able to kind of recapture what he's been throughout his career. I respect to the very end, he was grinding away at it.”

Donaldson, a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner, finishes his career with a .261/.358/.489 slash line, 279 home runs and 816 RBIs in 1,383 games with Oakland, Toronto, Cleveland, Atlanta, Minnesota, the Yankees and Milwaukee.

“At the end of the day, you look up and it's a really good career,” Boone said. “Just because something doesn't go as expected or well in a particular place, you try not to let that affect the relationship part. When you're in it within the arena with somebody every day and you see what they pour into it, he certainly earned my respect with the way he did that.”