Yankees' Will Warren looking to make major impression

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Assuming continued health for the group, Will Warren won’t be making the Yankees rotation out of camp.

But the touted pitching prospect, in his first big-league spring training, has a chance to put himself on the club’s radar so that when the inevitable openings occur in that rotation — typically in the form of injuries — he’ll be strongly considered as a replacement.

That process started well enough Tuesday when Warren, an eighth-round pick in the 2021 draft, allowed one run and four hits over 2 2/3 innings against the Rays. The 24-year-old Warren, who went 10-4 with a 3.35 ERA between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, struck out three. Warren, who did allow his share of hard contact, came on in the third inning and promptly allowed a double to Rene Pinto, who slashed one to right.

But Warren kept Pinto from scoring, getting groundouts from Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Randy Arozarena — three hitters who have done their share of damage against the Yankees in recent years — to end the inning.

“Warren was good,” Aaron Boone said. “Every pitch that he didn’t execute perfect got whacked pretty good, but I thought he was in command, I thought he was, for the most part, was getting ahead in the count. Though he executed a lot of pitches. Made a couple of mistakes in the zone that they hit really hard. But, really, those were his only mistakes, too. I thought overall he executed really well, I thought he was comfortable.”

Peraza a late scratch

Infielder Oswald Peraza was supposed to play Tuesday in Port Charlotte but Boone said after the game Peraza had "some tightness" in his right shoulder and stayed back in Tampa. Boone said the hope is Peraza being able to return Thursday or Friday.

"Today he seemed better," Boone said. “We’ll see.”