On the same day the Yankees brought in Bryan De La Cruz as a possible right-handed option for their outfield, Pereira made a statement that it really ought to be his role. The 24-year-old is batting .284/.355/.522 through 18 games. He’s a .286/.363/.529 hitter in 93 Triple-A games since debuting in 2023.

Pereira missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and will open the year back in the upper minors. The 23-year-old former top prospect figures to be back in the big leagues at some point in the coming months. Jones remains one of New York’s most talented prospects, thanks to his top-of-the-scale raw power, but persistent strikeout issues in the upper minors threaten to prevent him from reaching his potential.

Pereira underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2024 and missed the rest of that season. The 23-year-old is not long removed from being considered a potential fantasy option, and Boone did say that Pereira is a name that could see time with the Yankees by the end of the year. While there is upside in his bat, fantasy managers shouldn’t use a draft pick on Pereira even with the ability to potentially stash him on an injured list.

Pereira got into 27 contests last year for New York and will wind up missing the remainder of the 2024 campaign. The 23-year-old prospect attempted to play through the issue before ultimately electing to have season-ending surgery. He should be a full-go by the time spring training rolls around.