New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka was impressed with Oswald Peraza's debut in the major leagues in 2022, even though the 22-year-old shortstop did not get much playing time.

“Man, this kid's pretty good,” Higashioka said, via Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.

Peraza is the 52nd-ranked prospect according to MLB.com. While fifth-ranked prospect Anthony Volpe, who is also a shortstop, garners most of the attention, Peraza is someone the Yankees have been excited about as well.

Peraza hit .306 with a .404 on-base percentage and a .832 OPS in 18 games in the majors in 2022. However, much of the excitement comes from what the Yankees see on the defensive side.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believed that Peraza could play shortstop defensively in the big leagues as far back as November 2021.

Yankees fans have voiced frustration due to the team passing on big-name free agent shortstops like Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Corey Seager over the last two offseasons. Many have remarked that this puts a ton of pressure on Volpe, the top prospect in the Yankees' farm system. But given how the organization has talked about Peraza, there is a certain amount of pressure placed on him as well.

Higashioka even admitted that himself.

“It's not easy to come up and play well immediately,” Higashioka said in Kuty's article for The Athletic.

While Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo should do the heavy lifting for the Yankees on offense in 2023, the team needs someone new to emerge in the infield, as Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa do not inspire much optimism with the bat in their hands. Oswald Peraza should enter spring training in a position battle with Kiner-Falefa and Volpe, and he could be the spark that the Yankees are looking for at the plate and in the field.