Estevan Florial’s hype has begun to return to 2018 levels of late, as he tore up Double-A before being called up to Triple-A earlier this month.
Now, the outfielder will get a chance back in the majors as the Yankees called up the 23-year-old ahead of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Blue Jays. It may only be for a brief period, but Florial has a chance to remind the Yankees why he was their top-ranked prospect by Baseball America just three years ago.
“I think you know how much we like his ceiling and what his potential is,” Aaron Boone said before Thursday’s doubleheader. “For Flo, he’s been a little bit of a victim the last few years of injuries and interrupted seasons…he hasn’t had that development and that experience of playing a full season. I think that’s the biggest thing for him, gaining that experience and allowing him to learn from successes and failures and make the necessary adjustments to make him a major league hitter.”
This will be Florial’s second taste of the majors, as he went 1-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in his only big-league game last season. With Aaron Hicks likely done for the year and the 37-year-old Brett Gardner needing a breather, Boone said Glorial will likely be used in center in game two of Thursday’s doubleheader, and while he isn’t sure of the plan afterward, there is a chance he can remain part of the taxi squad this weekend if he is indeed sent back down after Thursday night.
“We definitely needed another position player for a doubleheader day, and obviously the ability to play center field, so he’ll likely play center field in the second game and be an option off the bench [in game one], so we’re excited to have him here and hopefully help us get a W or two,” Boone said. “It was nice to give him a taste last year and get his first major league hit out of the way last year. He has, from a health standpoint, a performance standpoint and out of necessity, put himself in a position to be here, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he takes this opportunity and is able to impact us. We know what he’s capable of.”
Florial watched his ranking among the Yankees organization drop from No. 1 in 2018 to outside of the top-10 last year after injuries derailed his development, as did the COVID-19 pandemic, which eliminated last year’s minor league season. But finally healthy, Florial hit four home runs in nine Double-A games this year, and has hit another two in his eight games at Triple-A. Now, after multiple injury-riddled seasons, he has something the Yankees currently covet: health.
“As a member of the team, you don’t want your team to get hurt,” Florial said. “But I’m always ready to help the team.”
It may be nothing more than a 24-hour stay, but Florial will have a chance on Thursday to show that his 2018 hype is still justified, and while the team’s starting center fielder is likely lost for the year, there is another waiting to take his place.
“I’m here, so whatever they need me to do, I’m going to be ready to contribute in any way I have to,” Florial said.
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