Yankees’ Peraza and Kahnle Begin Return to Big Leagues in Somerset

New York Yankees infielder Oswaldo Peraza and reliever Tommy Kahnle are in Somerset this week working on rehab assignments with the Yankees Double-A affiliate Somerset Patriots.

Peraza has now successfully played three games of his assignment with the Somerset Patriots as he continues his return from a shoulder injury he suffered in late March out at Spring Training.

"I feel great, I am glad to be playing again, and be back in Somerset. I had a great experience here," Peraza said after batting practice on Tuesday.

In three games at Double-A Somerset, Peraza has a hit in nine trips to the plate. That one hit was a home run that he cracked on Sunday in Altoona.

Peraza is no stranger to Somerset. Three years ago, he played 79 games with the Patriots during the 2021 season, where he batted .295 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI on 96 hits.

He made his Major League debut in 2022, and in 70 games at the Big League level, Peraza has put together a .216/298/.306 slash line with three homers, 16 RBI, and 23 runs scored.

Meanwhile, Tommy Kahnle is back in Somerset with hopes of returning to the Big Show very soon. He is coming off of right shoulder inflammation, a setback he suffered back on March 25.

Kahnle signed with the Yankees as a free agent following the 2022 season. He dealt with injuries during the '23 season and wound up rehabbing in Somerset for a couple of days last year. Overall he had a 2.66 ERA in 42 games with the Bronx Bombers.

This season Kahnle has tossed three scoreless innings in his rehab assignment between Single-A and Double-A. He tossed a shutout inning in relief on Tuesday night.

The Patriots continue their series with the Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate, Portland SeaDogs all week at TD Bank Ballpark. We got the action streaming live on foxsportsradionewjersey.com.

We've officially made it to Major League Baseball's opening day. And we've got four bold predictions for the 2024 MLB season.

Last year felt like a nice setup for this season to really hit one out of the park, so to speak. 2023 saw the new MLB rules take hold. This was notable with the pitch clock and the attempt to speed up the game. The looming question of what's next for Shohei Ohtani was lingering all year. Obviously the uncommon pitcher/hitter superstar chose to stay in southern California, but headed to move over to the Dodgers.

A consistent, no-frills style of baseball led the Texas Rangers to defeat a young and scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. Both have similar rosters this year, but will either team be as good?

We are already off to a unique start with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers splitting the Seoul Series in Korea. We are certainly teed up for an exciting seven months of baseball.

Some factors came close to finding their way into my four bold predictions, but were not strong enough to grab a spot in the lineup. However, they do remain open questions for baseball fans to look out for as the season unfolds.

In New York, will the Yankees adding the fierce bat of Juan Soto to the team bounce them back from a disappointing season? Soto may have to make up for the lack of depth at pitching now the Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole is starting the season injured.

In Atlanta, the Braves are so talented across the board, it's hard to pick against them in all of the National League. However, I do expect some epic NL East clashes throughout the year between division rivals, the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

We shall see about all of the above. In the meantime, let's hit some 2024 MLB bold predictions to get the ball rolling.

It may be a news subject that fades away, but Shohei Ohtani's name being involved in a potential gambling scandal is not a great way to kick off the season. This general topic is one that all pro sports are taking very seriously and could hang over the organization's head for much of the season. The Dodgers are certainly loaded with stars, but as the Yankees have proven in years past, a monster payroll does not guarantee wins. In fact, too many superstars in one clubhouse can be detrimental to team unity.

MLB has been faced with the challenge of making the games more exciting and engaging. There's only so much you can do to change the rules of the sport without stepping on the integrity of the game. The adjustments to speed things up certainly helped. So did the arrival of flashy alternate uniforms. Nine new teams will have a creative new jersey thrown into their mix. They will be unveiled soon. However, rocking a special edition jersey that is a nod to your home city should make this gear a top-seller in the shops. We've already seen teams like the Diamondbacks add accents of teal and fluorescents into their color schemes. This City Connect theme has been a very successful model in the NBA.

Speaking of uniforms, the Padres adding a sand tone to their away threads is an all-time classic look. The beach and baseball are synonymous. That has nothing to do with why SD will finish ahead of the bigger names like the Dodgers or San Francisco Giants. Fernando Tatis Jr is fully back, and the cornerstone to a team that is full of both speed and strength. The Padres did a great job of giving fans an inside glimpse of their spring training this year, and it certainly appeared as if the club was already having a blast. Their team unity and chemistry will carry them far.

Seattle, and the great state of Washington was so close to starting the year off with a championship parade thanks to the Huskies making the college football finals. They may end the year with one instead, and it will be well worth the wait. Julio Rodríguez is one of the most well-rounded players in the game. He's also just 23 years old. The X factor for the M's, though, will be how solid their pitching is, with the bulk of the rotation remaining healthy all year. The lineup then institutes small-ball baseball beautifully throughout the year, where the team seems to always know how to close out the close games. Ultimately, I'm taking the Mariners over the Braves in the 2024 World Series, which I can foresee being one of the most thrilling finals we've seen in a long time.