The Yankees signed their first-round pick, Trey Sweeney, for $3 million, a source confirmed Monday.
The 20th-overall pick played shortstop at Eastern Illinois, but could move to a different infield position in the pros, especially since the Yankees have another top prospect, Oswald Peraza, playing short at Double-A Somerset, whom they are high on. Like Sweeney, Peraza is also 21.
Another promising option is Anthony Volpe, who is hitting well at High-A Hudson Valley. The 20-year-old Volpe was also picked by the Yankees in the first round, 30th overall in 2019.
Sweeney, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound shortstop, hit .382 with 14 home runs this spring as a redshirt sophomore and was named a first-team All-American.
The lefty-swinging 21-year-old went undrafted out of St. Xavier High School in Louisville before breaking out as the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.
Sweeney was ranked 55th overall in this year’s draft class by MLB Pipeline, but the Yankees selected him in the first round.
“Yeah, I did see that stuff. I try not to think anything of it,” Sweeney said of the ranking. “The Yankees thought a little bit higher, and I am happy to prove them right and work hard for their organization.”
Zack Britton returned to the bullpen Sunday and faced four batters. He struck out two and walked a pair before being removed from the game in his first appearance in a major league game in over three weeks.
Aroldis Chapman, in the midst of what he called “the toughest moment” of his career, pitched a perfect ninth on Sunday, but his control was still erratic and he gave up a bomb to center to Boston’s Kevin Plawecki.
Aaron Boone said after the game that Chapman would have pitched the ninth in a save situation. It’s been over four weeks since Chapman earned a save.
The two veteran left-handers will have to get right if the Yankees’ bullpen is expected to be elite.
Between Britton’s spring training elbow surgery and June hamstring strain and Chapman’s disastrous recent month-long stretch, the Yankees haven’t had the late-game 1-2 punch they believed would set them apart.
A scout who saw both pitch Sunday said Britton looked like he would be expected to, considering the lack of action this season.
“I think he’s close,’’ the scout said.
There were also signs of optimism regarding Chapman, as the scout echoed Boone’s postgame assessment that after the blast by Plawecki, when Chapman’s velocity was down, the left-hander recovered in the final two at-bats, throwing 100 mph and using his splitter effectively.
Boone said Jonathan Loisiaga was due to fly to New York before Tuesday. The right-hander has been on the COVID IL since July 10, when the Yankees were in Houston.