Yankees top prospect has mysteriously been out of Double-A lineup since May 30

Anyone familiar with scouring the minor-league transaction wire knows that the Injured List down there isn't quite as thorough as what goes on at the MLB level. In the minors, prospects are subject to the "7-Day IL," which means whatever the manager wants it to mean. It could refer to a breather. It could also mean the player in question got kicked by a horse.

But top-10 Yankees outfield prospect Everson Pereira isn't on the Double-A IL. In fact, he's ... not really anywhere at all right now.

Pereira, who ranks No. 4 on MLB Pipeline's current post-Anthony Volpe/Oswald Peraza Yankees Top 30 list, got off to a representative start to his age-22 season this year at Double-A Somerset. He batted .285 with an .864 OPS in 144 at-bats at the level, appearing in his most recent game on May 30.

He was pulled from that game after recording one hit in one at-bat, prompting rampant speculation from this voracious fan base. Could he have been ... traded? Disciplined for not hustling, Luis Robert-style? Was it a major injury?

Unfortunately, three weeks later, the public still has ... no idea. Pereira hasn't played. He hasn't been publicly referred to very often. He remains on the active roster, despite being very inactive.

Where is Yankees top prospect Everson Pereira? It's been three weeks.

Maybe the Yankees were just ... keeping the lineup spot open for Harrison Bader's eventual rehab appearance? Checkmate!

The clearest report we've gotten on Pereira was on June 13, when Patriots manager Raul Dominguez told Matt Kardos of the team's official website that the outfielder was doing "everything" in practice and would be back in the lineup towards the end of last week.

That did not happen.

With so much attention on Jasson Dominguez, it's clear why the Yankees thought the could hide whatever's going on with Pereira. But after three weeks, the people start to get antsy and demand answers.

Based on the way the Yanks have handled this issue -- as well as most other issues -- you shouldn't expect anything concrete, though. But can we interest you in some more generic quotes about how Josh Donaldson needs some more runway?