Why Everson Pereira, Bryan De La Cruz are out amid Yankees trade rumors

It is the month of Hug Watch, but that was not the case on Tuesday night for two outfielders scratched from the lineup at the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.

Everson Pereira was scratched with general sickness and Bryan De La Cruz with an oblique issue on Tuesday night, and both remained out of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lineup on Wednesday afternoon.

Their absences raised the alarm bell for a possible trade — Pereira more so than De La Cruz — but at least for now, that was not why they were sidelined with just over three weeks to go until the trade deadline.

The Yankees are in a state of flux with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving back to second base on Tuesday, which has made DJ LeMahieu a bench player (Aaron Boone described it as a challenge physically for him to play third) and Oswald Peraza now the stopgap third baseman by default, being the only other infielder left on the active roster. 

The club has been on the hunt for a third baseman dating back to the offseason, but with Chisholm’s defense not up to par there — and LeMahieu’s inability to play the position — the issue has only been further exposed over the last few weeks.

That said, most trades of consequence do not happen until after the MLB draft, which begins on Sunday.

So at least for now, Pereira and De La Cruz remain in the organization.

Once a top-100 prospect in the game, Pereira has rebounded from Tommy John surgery last year to hit .262 with a .864 OPS in 56 games at Triple-A this season.