Wade, Cabrera in mix as RailRiders eye second-half charge
Jul. 22—MOOSIC — He was playing games about an hour away from his hometown, but Tyler Wade didn't seem overly disappointed when the Los Angeles Angels dealt him back to the New Yankees last week.
"I don't think disappointing is the word," said the 27-year-old infielder from Murrieta, California. "I think, it's weird to say this, but I almost feel like home is here, in New York. I spent almost 10 years here building relationships and being with the guys. Yeah man, it's crazy. It doesn't feel real to be honest with you."
The Yankees reacquired Wade for a player to be named later or cash considerations, and the utilityman reported to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for the first time since 2019. He went 3 for 8 with two RBIs and a stolen base in his first two games and will be in the mix for the RailRiders in the second half of the season, which starts Friday night in Lehigh Valley.
The RailRiders (44-46), who are tied for seventh place in the International League's East division, open with a three-game series against the first-place IronPigs (49-41) then travel to Rochester (47-43) on Tuesday when the normal, six-game series kick in again.
In 67 games (147 at-bats) with the Angels this year, Wade batted .218 with a .544 OPS. He still has speed — his sprint speed in the bigs this year ranks in the 92nd percentile — and stole eight bases, but he also was caught five times. He's still versatile on defense, playing second base (31 games), shortstop (19), third base (12), left field (seven), right field (five) and center (two) with the Angels.
"I'm the same guy, bro, other than I had facial hair for about a year," Wade said. "That's about it."
Veteran utilityman José Peraza opted out of his deal and was released July 15, so Wade will be tasked with filling that void. In 63 games with the RailRiders, Peraza batted .239 with a .661 OPS.
Close call
Oswaldo Cabrera doesn't exactly know how he did it, but somehow, during a game May 8 in Rochester, the RailRiders infielder hit his right shoulder hard enough with the follow through from a swing that it knocked him out of action until July 4.
"I just made swing, a long swing, I don't know," the 23-year-old said. "I swung in that moment so hard and I hit the bone on my shoulder."
Cabrera, a switch hitter, said he didn't feel any pain when he batted righty, nor when he threw. It was only when he would swing left-handed, and that pain lasted for more than a month and a half. Cabrera said if the soreness lasted a couple more days, he would've required surgery.
Then, it went away, and he played a week of rehab games with Single-A Tampa before rejoining the RailRiders.
Cabrera is 3 for 21 since returning to Triple-A, but two of those hits left the park. He has six RBIs in that span.
Trading season
The Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and despite owning the best record in the bigs, the Yankees are poised to be active. With 10 of Baseball America's top-30 Yankees prospects donning a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre uniform this season, it's likely some RailRiders start hearing their names in trade rumors.
In recent seasons, the Yankees have tended to deal prospects who are approaching their Rule 5 offseasons, meaning they must be added to the 40-man roster or else be exposed to the Rule 5 draft, where other clubs could scoop them up. Some notable RailRiders are at that point: starting pitchers Hayden Wesneski, Ken Waldichuk and Jhony Brito; reliever Zach Greene; and catcher Josh Breaux.
Similarly, another group of RailRiders is in its final minor league option season, meaning they'd have to stick on the major league roster in 2023 or be designated for assignment. That theoretically could make trading outfielders Estevan Florial — who is putting together an MVP-caliber season in the International League — and Miguel Andújar; or injured pitchers Deivi García and Luis Gil more palatable for the Yankees.
Viva Las Vegas?
During their turnaround from being 17 games under .500 on June 8, to just two games down now, a rallying point among the RailRiders was focusing on the road to Vegas.
This year, the Triple-A postseason will consist of three winner-take-all games, which will be Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, Nevada. The winners of the Pacific Coast League East and West divisions will play Sept. 30, then the top teams from the International League's East and West divisions meet Oct. 1. The league winners play Oct. 2 in the Triple-A National Championship.
The RailRiders are in a tie with Norfolk for seventh place in the International League East, though they're also just five games behind division-leading Lehigh Valley.
They'll face the IronPigs nine times, all in Allentown, with six coming in the final full series of the season. Durham (48-42) is tied with Jacksonville for second and hosts the RailRiders for six games in early September. Rochester (47-43) and Worcester (47-43) are tied for fourth, one game better than Buffalo (46-44). The RailRiders won't see the Red Wings after their six games in Rochester next week, but they will play 12 games against the Red Sox and nine against the Bisons — all at PNC Field.
The RailRiders made it into the last five International League postseasons (2015-19). The season was canceled in 2020, and in 2021, 10 games called the Final Stretch replaced the playoffs.
Volpe watch
After a slow start, Yankees top prospect Anthony Volpe is turning things up at Double-A. The 21-year-old, who was batting .183 on May 27, is up to .253 with an .812 OPS. He hit .298 with an .898 OPS in June and is even better in July, batting .325 with a 1.071 OPS — including an impressive .600 slugging percentage — in 11 games. Volpe also has a career-best 35 stolen bases.
So, when will he get to Triple-A?
Volpe and fellow Yankees farmhand Jasson Domínguez started the Futures Game for the American League squad. Domínguez went 1 for 2 with a home run and an error in the prospect showcase, and the Yankees revealed the 19-year-old outfielder will start the second half with a promotion to High-A Hudson Valley. Volpe went 0 for 2 with a pair of strikeouts, but his midseason break didn't come with a promotion.
The middle of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre infield is occupied by shortstop Oswald Peraza, the No. 2 prospect in the system, according to Baseball America, and Cabrera, who sees time at second, third and short.
Peraza played 79 games at Double-A last year before finishing with eight in Triple-A. Volpe played 77 games at Double-A.
Peraza is batting .248 with a .751 OPS this year, and like Volpe, is playing his best baseball. He hit .303 with an .892 OPS in June, and has three home runs and four doubles in 45 at-bats in July.
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