Oswald Peraza is not in Friday’s starting lineup despite being promoted on Thursday, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa is still starting at shortstop to begin a critical series against the Rays.
Asked about the Peraza/Kiner-Falefa dynamic moving forward, Aaron Boone said he still considers Kiner-Falefa the starting shortstop.
“I did talk to Izzy,” Boone said. “I’ve had a conversation with him. Izzy’s such a big part of what we’re doing, and I expect him to continue to be right in the middle of what we’re doing…he wants to win, and he’ll do anything it takes to be prepared. He’s gonna continue to play a lot.”
Kiner-Falefa has struggled at the plate all season, posting a .625 OPS with just one home run, while defensive miscues have popped up in the form of 12 errors, including a costly one that led to the eventual game-winning home run in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday. Peraza, the hyped 22-year-old prospect, has played shortstop and second base in Triple-A this season, and while Boone hopes to get him in the lineup for the middle game of the three-game set in Tampa, he still sees Kiner-Falefa as his starter.
“It’ll be fluid. He’ll get some opportunities,” Boone said. “How much he plays, how well he’s doing, those kind of things, we’ll continue to weigh that as we go forward.
“Just keep it fluid, probably try to get him in there [Saturday].”
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