Yankees considering promoting Triple-A phenom after hot start

At some point, the New York Yankees will need to transition away from Franchy Cordero and potentially Willie Calhoun, considering he offers the team minimal defensive value. Calhoun has posted four hits in the last two games combined, showcasing why he was once considered a top prospect.

Manager Aaron Boone is confident in Calhoun, but he’s still only hitting .226 with a .273 OBP across nine games this year. The sample size is small, and the Yankees are willing to give him a bit more slack, but Cordero’s situation isn’t as optimistic.

The Yankees will eventually need to drop Franchy:

Cordero, a 28-year-old with substantial MLB experience, is hitting a measly .160 with a .192 OBP, striking out at a 34.6% clip and walking at just 3.8%. His 63 wRC+ is dropping like a rock, and his defensive value is spotty at best.

It is possible the Yankees decide to option Cordero back to Triple-A since they have one more minor-league option to utilize. If that is the case, they could promote Triple-A phenom Jake Bauers, who presents a lefty bat and the ability to play first base and the corner outfield positions. At 27 years old, he’s played 328 MLB games in his career, posting a .213 average and .307 OBP with an 82 wRC+.

The Yankees have noticed Jake Bauers tearing up Triple-A:

Bauers is lighting up Triple-A Scranton, logging a 1.335 OPS. He’s also earned a .328 average with a .476 OBP and a .859 slugging percentage. He has put himself on the map after making a few changes to his swing, leveling out his launch angle, and reducing his strikeout rate significantly.

In fact, he’s walking 6% more than has experienced a 16.9% strikeout rate, down from 33.6% last year with Scranton.

Bauers has undoubtedly caught the eye of manager Aaron Boone, who is considering him as a potential promotion candidate after his hot start.

“He’s definitely caught our eye and certainly a lot of us pay attention to that,” Boone said on Wednesday. “We’ll see what happens.”

Ultimately, the Yankees could use some fresh legs in left field, with Oswaldo Cabrera and Cordero struggling significantly. Cabrera is a fine defensive player with great utility value, but he’s hitting just .216 with a .244 OBP to start the year, slapping one homer with seven RBIs.

Unfortunately, Cabrera’s chase rate and swing decisions are sometimes poor, showcasing unnecessary aggression that has led to a measly 3.8% walk rate. Having walked at an 8.8% clip last year, he can be a serviceable offensive player if he can take a few more pitches and get on base at around a 30% clip.

Cabrera is one of the exciting young talents on the roster, but his offensive production has put Boone in a tough spot, trying to find supplements in left field. It seems they have completely removed Aaron Hicks from the conversation, considering he’s hitting .129 with a .206 OBP and -1 wRC+.

Physically, Hicks doesn’t have the same power he once did, and mentally, the criticism has clearly affected his performance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees DFAd Hicks or tried to offload him in a more extensive trade by this year’s deadline.

In the meantime, Cordero seems to be the most obvious option to be sent back down to Triple-A, in which Bauers would take his 40-man roster spot and assume any reps he otherwise would’ve enjoyed.