New York Yankees outfield prospect Everson Pereira will have to undergo Tommy John surgery, sources have told Andy Martino of SNY.
This marks the second time in as many seasons that a top Yankees outfield prospect would succumb to Tommy John. Last year, Jasson Dominguez underwent the procedure. He just recently made his return and is currently at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Pereira is the fifth-ranked prospect in New York’s system and entered the 2024 campaign ranked 67th in all of baseball.
In 40 games at Triple-A this season, Pereira was slashing .265/.346/.512 with 10 home runs and 27 RBI over 182 plate appearances. The 23-year-old spent 27 games in the major leagues last season, slashing .151/.233/.194 while driving in 10 runs across 103 trips to the dish.
The Yankees signed Pereira as an international free agent back in July 2017. He began flashing his potential in 2021, when he slashed .303/.398/.686 with 20 homers and 57 RBI through 221 plate appearances between Rookie League and Single-A ball. The following year, the Venezuelan continued to impress, registering an .819 OPS with 14 dingers and 56 RBI between Single-A and Double-A. He then slashed .300/.373/.548 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI over 343 trips to the plate between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023.
Pereira is also known for being a good defensive outfielder. His only downside is his high strikeout rate.
The Yankees may be baseball’s best in 2024
The Yankees currently own the best record in baseball at 49-22 and don’t really seem to have any major weaknesses.
Offensively, the Bronx Bombers rank fifth in batting average, second in OPS and home runs and No. 1 in runs scored. Then, in terms of pitching, New York ranks No. 1 in ERA and is tied for second in WHIP. Essentially, this team has been a juggernaut over the first two-and-a-half months of 2024.
The question is, will the Yankees make any significant moves between now and the July 30 MLB trade deadline?
Pereira actually would have been a terrific trade chip for New York, but the Yanks may not have wanted to move him anyway. Otherwise, the Yankees could stand to improve at their corner infield spots, as Anthony Rizzo has been dreadful at first base, and while they have gotten by with a third-baseman-by-committee approach thus far, they may upgrade there, too (although they may wait to see what they get from DJ LeMahieu—who just recently returned from injury—first).
New York may also look to add another bullpen arm, but that is something that almost every contender pursues at some point during the season.
This may very well be the best team the Yankees have had since last winning the World Series in 2009. Aaron Judge is probably the best player in baseball, Juan Soto has been an absolute revelation and Giancarlo Stanton is enjoying a resurgent campaign. Plus, New York’s starting rotation has been dynamite, especially with the unexpected contribution from Luis Gil.
Pereira’s injury is certainly a bummer, considering he may have been called up to the big leagues again later in the season. But he will have plenty of time to heal up as the Yankees try and continue their dominance.
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