Yankees Roster Shuffle: Peraza and Calhoun affected by Judge's return

The New York Yankees have activated Aaron Judge and demoted Oswald Peraza to make space on the roster.

The New York Yankees made some roster moves on Friday with the return of Aaron Judge. Judge, who had been sidelined with a torn ligament in his right big toe, was activated for the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles. In order to make room for Judge on the big league roster, the Yankees demoted infield prospect Oswald Peraza.

While the Yankees could have removed an outfielder to accommodate Judge's return, they chose to maintain depth in the outfield. Judge will need some designated hitter (DH) and off days as he continues to recover from his injury. Outfielders Greg Allen, Billy McKinney, and Jake Bauers were all potential alternatives for Peraza, but none of them have options. Peraza, on the other hand, has options and therefore became the odd man out after losing the starting shortstop battle to Anthony Volpe in spring training.

Although Peraza has performed well at the Triple-A level, he hasn't had much success in limited opportunities in the majors this season. However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone commended Peraza for his professionalism and resilience throughout the year as he has been shuttling between the majors and minors.

The Yankees also made another roster move on Friday by designating Willie Calhoun for assignment. Calhoun had recently completed a rehab assignment for a quad injury and had been hitting well prior to the injury. However, due to his better fit as a DH rather than an outfielder and his lack of options, there was no room for him on the 40-man roster.

With Judge back in the lineup, Peraza demoted, and Josh Donaldson on the injured list, Boone announced that Isiah Kiner-Falefa will receive more playing time at third base moving forward. Kiner-Falefa, primarily an infielder, has mostly played in the outfield this season but will now shift back to his natural position. He has also showcased his versatility by playing multiple positions, including left, center, right, second, short, and even pitching in four games.

In other news, Carlos Rodón, the Chicago White Sox pitcher, gained attention for allegedly covering up the Yankees' Starr Insurance patch, an advertisement, during his last start. The act was seen as rebellious and drew admiration from the popular Uni Watch blog. However, Rodón clarified that covering the patch was not intentional, according to the Daily News.