Yankees deal Mike Tauchman to Giants for lefty reliever Wandy Peralta

BALTIMORE – In this case, the Yankees chose bullpen depth over outfield depth.

The club announced shortly before Tuesday night’s game against the Orioles it had shipped Mike Tauchman, who can play all three outfield positions, to the Giants for lefthander Wandy Peralta and a player to be named later.

The Yankees spent much of spring taking calls from opposing teams interested in Tauchman, who is out of minor-league options, because of his flexibility and his lefty bat.

General manager Brian Cashman didn’t receive any offers of interest until the deal with the Giants came together, the trade perhaps inspired by the overuse early in the season of the Yankees’ bullpen because of the lack of length provided by starters other than Gerrit Cole.

"Peralta has good stuff but can get erratic with his control," one rival scout said via text. "He should help them…they’re gassing them [the bullpen] out in April."

The 29-year-old Peralta, 2-1 with two saves and a 5.40 ERA in 10 relief outings this season with the Giants, is 9-9 with a 4.72 ERA and two saves in 220 career relief appearances between the Reds (where he played from 2016-19) and San Francisco, where he’s been since 2019. He’s allowed 195 hits, including 26 homers, and 92 walks over 192 2/3 innings in which he’s struck out 158.

Peralta posted a 3.29 ERA in 25 appearances last season, holding lefty batters to a .171 batting average.

In a corresponding roster move, the Yankees recalled utility man Tyler Wade from the team’s alternate site.

Tauchman, 30, who was acquired toward the end of spring training 2019, was off to a 3-for-14 start (.214) overall 11 games this season.

Higashioka getting more playing time while Sanchez sits

The Yankees aren’t really pretending anymore when it comes to Kyle Higashioka being Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher.

What’s becoming increasingly a storyline is just how much playing time Higashioka will be getting with the rest of the pitching staff as Gary Sanchez’s horrid start at the plate to this season continues.

Higashioka, who doubled and homered Thursday night as he caught Domingo German and had a quieter 0-for-4 night catching Cole on Saturday, was behind the plate Tuesday night against the Orioles, paired with Corey Kluber (as he was April 14 in Dunedin against the Blue Jays).

"It’ll be kind of a day by day thing," Aaron Boone said Tuesday afternoon of how he plans splitting the catching duties.

Of Higashioka, Boone said: "He’s earned more playing time. It’s as simple as that."

Indeed, counting Tuesday, that marked eight of last 13 games in which Higashioka has appeared. Besides Higashioka’s skills as a receiver, which have been praised almost from the time he was drafted into the organization in the seventh round of the 2008 draft, he’s doing something he hasn’t previously at the big-league level: hitting, which is something the offensively-challenged Yankees are in desperate need of.

Higashioka came into Tuesday hitting .286 with three homers and a 1.210 OPS, with both of those bookend numbers team highs. Sanchez is hitting .182 with two homers and a .617 OPS.

"His improvements over the last couple of years on both sides of the ball have been strong," Boone said of the 31-year-old Higashioka. "And I think the way he’s played at the onset of the season has earned him some more opportunities."

Boone said he has discussed the situation with the 28-year-old Sanchez, who officially – if last October wasn’t enough of a hint when Higashioka caught five of seven playoff games – finds his Yankees career at a crossroads.

"I’ve talked to Gary," Boone said. "Obviously, he wants in the lineup but, I think, certainly understands that Higgy’s earned some more things as well."

Garcia down, King up

After top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia allowed two runs and three hits in four innings Monday, the 21-year-old was optioned to the club’s alternate site. Righty Michael King, 25, was recalled to take Garcia’s spot.

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.