Isiah Kiner-Falefa pounded an opposite-field home run in Friday’s spring training game, where he got the start at second base. On Saturday morning, he was listed as the starter at second again, and will likely see time at third base and even in the outfield moving forward.
Based on that shuffling, Kiner-Falefa seems to be accepting a reality where he will no longer be the Yankees’ starting shortstop in 2023.
“That’s three [games] in a row moving around,” Kiner-Falefa said on Friday, via the New York Post. “I don’t want to make too much of it, but it’s definitely something.”
With Oswald Peraza showing promise at the plate in spring training, after taking playoff playing time from Kiner-Falefa last season, it seems like the Yankees are ready to hand the keys over to their youngsters. Top prospect Anthony Volpe has also been shining this spring, though he will likely start the season in the minors leagues. But Peraza seems to be in the driver’s seat to win the starting job, even though the Yankees have yet to publicly tip their hand.
“I think the two guys that are ready for the big leagues, pushing to the big leagues, are both shortstops,” Kiner-Falefa said. “So if something were to happen to anybody else on the team injury-wise or something, it wouldn’t be them moving. I feel like I’ve shown versatility in my career so far and it’d be a lot easier move for me to do it, to help the team.”
Kiner-Falefa could turn into what Marwin Gonzalez was for the Yankees last season, playing everywhere on the diamond in a depth role. He could also see more playing time than expected if injuries arise, which they’ve already started to with Harrison Bader suffering an oblique strain. Kiner-Falefa has played shortstop, second base, third base, and catcher during his big-league career, and logged time in the outfield during the minor leagues. So wherever the Yanks ask him to play, he says he will be ready.
“At the end of the day, I want to be here and I want to win,” Kiner-Falefa said. “Whether it’s playing shortstop, utility…there’s an opportunity to win a World Series here, and I want to be a part of it,”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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