Gio Urshela is the Yankees’ shortstop, for now anyway.
Aaron Boone made that announcement at spring training on Sunday morning. Urshela, primarily a third baseman, has logged 285 career innings at shortstop. He played 28 games (24 starts) at the position last season, taking over for the defensively challenged Gleyber Torres at the end of the season. Torres returned to second base, his more comfortable position.
Urshela playing shortstop would mean DJ LeMahieu is New York’s third baseman based on the way the rest of the roster is presently constructed.
Whether Urshela actually ends up being the Yanks’ everyday shortstop remains to be seen. Boone’s proclamation is reminiscent of Brian Cashman anointing Bubba Crosby the team’s starting center fielder years ago. That, of course, didn’t happen.
The Yankees have some options, but their choices dwindled pre- and post-lockout. Star shortstops Carlos Correa and Trevor Story remain free agents, but they will cost a pretty penny. If Cashman does not want to spend big, there is also the stop-gap route: adding a veteran to hold the fort down until prospects Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza are ready.
“Obviously, we’ve got some guys that are knocking on the door that we’re really excited about,” Boone said, per ESPN’s Marly Rivera. He lumped Oswaldo Cabrera, another infield prospect, into the mix. “So we’ll just let that situation shake out. I’m sure there’s still things to be done across the game and certainly with us that are going to change that landscape potentially along the way.”
Several players who would have fit the stop-gap plan are already off the board. Andrelton Simmons agreed with the Cubs, José Iglesias agreed with the Rockies, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa was traded from the Rangers to the Twins. Jonathan Villar is among those still available.
While not ideal, Urshela can fill that role. Even then, he has no clear backup following the offseason departures of Tyler Wade and Andrew Velazquez. With that in mind, expect the Yankees to make some sort of move at short before the season begins.
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March 14, 2022 at 08:56AM
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Gio Urshela is Yankees’ Shortstop For Now - Sports Illustrated
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