The competition for the Yankees' starting second-base position may have gained another entrant.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported on Friday that the Yanks have signed utility man Jace Peterson to a Minor League deal. The contract will be worth $900,000, plus incentives, if Peterson makes the Major League roster. The club has not confirmed the deal.
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The identity of the Yankees' Opening Day second baseman remains unanswered after the team traded Starlin Castro to the Marlins as part of their blockbuster deal for Giancarlo Stanton. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reported on Thursday that Gleyber Torres, ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, is expected to be fully recovered from Tommy John surgery by Spring Training, and he figures to be a lead candidate. Miguel Andujar, Thairo Estrada, Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade are additional second-base candidates identified by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman this offseason.
Now Peterson figures to enter that mix. The Louisiana native appeared in 89 games for the Braves in 2017, spending time at six positions in both the infield and outfield while batting .215 with a .635 OPS and two home runs in 215 plate appearances. Peterson was Atlanta's full-time second baseman in 2015, hitting .239 with a .649 OPS and collecting 34 extra-base hits.
A first-round pick of the Padres in the 2011 Draft, Peterson is a career .234 hitter over parts of four big league seasons with 15 home runs and 98 RBIs.