On Friday before their series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees called up infield prospect Jorbit Vivas after placing J.D. Davis on the 10-day injured list because of a stomach flu.
“When you talk about the opportunity, I just want to be ready for it,” Vivas said through an interpreter. “Ready to play, show that I can play a little bit of baseball and try to help us as much as I can.”
Vivas is the Yankees number 15 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. In Triple-A, he was hitting .258 with 29 walks, 31 strikeouts, five doubles, a triple, 19 RBIs, and a .828 OPS. Recently, he's been hot as he's hitting .333 with a 1.113 OPS and five home runs in his last 19 games. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Vivas could get a start this weekend against the Orioles.
“He’s got some pop in the bat and can move. He’s a good athlete,” Boone said. “There were probably a few guys in consideration, and he’s definitely the guy that has earned the right to be here.”
The Yankees have been struggling lately as they are 7-18 in their last 25 games entering Friday, and their recent record is the worst in the majors. While Davis had just one hit in 13 at-bats, Vivas can have a huge impact on this team and help turn things around, just like Ben Rice has done since he got called up. Vivas could be the Yankees' answer for second or third base. Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu are struggling, and it doesn't look like their performance will improve anytime soon.
With that being said, if Vivas plays well, he could end up taking over for Torres or LeMahieu. I think that Vivas would replace Torres. Vivas has more experience playing second, and I think that would be the best fit for him. The Yankees could have Oswaldo Cabrera replace LeMahieu or acquire LeMahieu's replacement in a trade.
(Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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