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Yankees call up electric Jorbit Vivas after surprisingly placing veteran on IL

It's all happening.
Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Yanks Go Yard

2024 New York Yankees Spring Training / New York Yankees/GettyImages

The Yankees switched up the handedness of their bench on Friday afternoon, exchanging a lefty-hitting second baseman for a righty power bat. It's unlikely any fans will complain, though; the Yankees traded in their least used option for a rookie primed to bring some electricity to their stagnant lineup.

Jorbit Vivas, who's found his stroke at Triple-A recently after battling back from an orbital fracture at the end of camp, will get a chance to prove that he might just be the long-term Gleyber Torres replacement the Yankees have been seeking.

Per SNY's Andy Martino, Vivas has been promoted to the bigs ahead of a crucial series in Baltimore that wraps the season's "first half". On the flip side, veteran JD Davis will hit the Injured List.

Show of hands: Who realized Davis was injured? Who even knew he was battling anything? No matter; the Yankees have made a prudent decision here to make an upside play rather than promoting a rerun, and the only question remaining is how much run Vivas will get in the starting lineup.

Yankees add rookie Jorbit Vivas for MLB debut, place JD Davis on Injured List

After slumping slightly to start the year while reacquiring his rhythm, Vivas has shown off some of the panache and poise he displayed this spring in recent weeks. In 37 Triple-A games, he's raised his personal bar to a .258/.404/.424 triple-slash, good for an .828 OPS fueled by power and patience. In July, he's homered twice in nine games, good for a .988 OPS mark.

Davis? He hasn't played since recording a single at-bat on July 4 in Cincinnati, striking out in a forgettable game that would soon cement a despicable sweep.

The Yankees need to take as many bites at the apple as they possibly can, trying out additional energizers ahead of a trade deadline that could be transformative, if the front office absolutely nails it (not holding our breath). Vivas could ride a heater to extended playing time, especially in the wake of DJ LeMahieu's struggles/multiple high-velocity baseballs that struck inopportune places on Wednesday night. He could also get, unfortunately, buried.

The Yankees wouldn't promote him not to use him, though ... right?

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.