3 Yankees prospects Brian Cashman should still call up after Florial-Cabrera moves

Good news, Yankees fans! Super sub Oswaldo Cabrera and outfielder Estevan Florial (on his third big-league tryout) are here to save the day! Maybe. Possibly. Hey, it’s something.

But if the Bombers really wanted to create some turnover, there are plenty more names on the horizon who could help stabilize the MLB roster in 2022-23. They should probably be given a head start now while the Yankees have a sizable AL East lead, too, instead of being thrown into the fire if it shrinks.

The Cabrera and Florial promotions oddly came at the right time — or, at most, a day or two late. The Yanks are reeling, but both men present obvious upgrades (Florial over Aaron Hicks, the worst player in baseball, and Cabrera over injured DJ LeMahieu/Josh Donaldson). Even if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t look like the Yankees were pressing the panic button. They were merely relying on talent in the pipeline to fill gaps.

They could go further, though. The Yankees still have bullpen options to test out, a reeling catching duo, and a super prospect hanging out at Triple-A. Sure, these proposed moves would take some 40-man wiggling, making them (sigh) unlikely. But if the Yankees get some spark from Wednesday’s action, imagine how much better it could get if some more electric rookies joined the roster down the stretch?

The less Josh Donaldson stench, the better.

3 Yankees Brian Cashman should promote after Estevan Florial, Oswaldo Cabrera

3. Oswald Peraza

Yes, it’s probably time to just go ahead and promote the highest-ranking top shortstop prospect in the system, too. Cabrera/Florial is nice, but it’s a half-measure. It’s a utility guy for the final spot on the roster and an outfielder with a long swing who hasn’t hit well in the bigs before/is hitting .257 in August, his worst month since April.

Adding Oswald Peraza (or, hell, Anthony Volpe!) would’ve been the “go for it” move. The Braves-style move. It could still happen, post-service time manipulation deadline. It could. It won’t, but it could.

Peraza put the cherry on top of his recent acclimation to Triple-A by drilling a spectacular line-drive homer to left on Tuesday night, erasing a 9-0 deficit and flipping the game to 10-9 in favor of Scranton. That was his 17th blast of the season, eight of which have come since July 1. After hitting .197 and .216 in April and May, the 22-year-old Peraza has posted months of .303, .300 and .317 in August ever since.

If Volpe’s getting credit for his impressive midseason adjustments a level below, Peraza deserves the same praise for unlocking the upper minors at the perfect time.

Once Peraza arrives, he could be in the bigs to stay — which could get awkward, considering an already-fragile Gleyber Torres might be watching his replacement in action. Still, if the Yankees need him, there’s no reason not to press the button.