TAMPA, Fla. — There isn’t major roster intrigue for the New York Yankees this spring training.

Last year, when their shortstop competition lasted through the end of spring training, it was widely assumed that former top prospect Oswald Peraza would break camp as the starter. As we now know, it didn’t turn out that way. Now Peraza’s future with the Yankees is murky at best.

Theoretically, there should be space on the 26-man roster for Peraza this season. There’s no clear backup option at shortstop, his primary position in the minors, or second base or third base. Because of Anthony Volpe’s emergence last year, Peraza was forced over to third base, a position he never played until 2023. He looked natural as a corner infielder and had the 11th strongest arm at third base in MLB, according to Statcast.

Peraza’s glove is MLB-caliber at all three of his possible positions, but the offensive profile he showcased at the minor-league level has yet to translate to the big leagues.

“The numbers are not where I want them to be,” Peraza said on Friday.

In 52 games last season, Peraza finished with a 53 wRC+ and a paltry .539 OPS. Peraza showed consistent power in Triple A, hitting 33 home runs in 162 games over the past two seasons, but that hasn’t been the case in the majors. His barrel percentage, average exit velocity, sweet spot percentage, wOBA and hard hit percentage all ranked below the MLB average in 2023. Given DJ LeMahieu’s age and positional versatility, Peraza would likely see the most time at third base if his offensive production proved enough for him to be a regular major-league corner infielder.

“He has ability and the tools to do it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Peraza’s offensive potential. “It’s that last step that can be challenging. Triple A is one thing. Doing it on a consistent basis at the big leagues is another layer and another challenge and another step that he’s got to conquer. He hasn’t had that regular runway of at-bats to do that at the big league level.”

After watching hours of film this offseason, Peraza said the main thing he wanted to improve upon at the plate was body balance. He said there were too many instances last season where at-bats would end poorly because his mechanics were out of sync. He feels like they’re corrected now. But getting consistent playing time may still be a challenge for Peraza in 2024, even though he could be the team’s primary backup infielder.

Playing even twice a week is not the same for a hitter who still needs development, and that’s why Peraza being eligible for a fourth minor league option this year makes the possibility of him starting the year back in Scranton a real possibility. It was interesting how Boone responded when asked directly if he considered Peraza his primary backup infielder.

“Well, I think you could throw a lot of guys in that bucket,” Boone said. “Certainly, Oswald, a lot of confidence in his ability to play all three of those (spots) at a high level. But Oswaldo (Cabrera) is in there. We brought in Kevin Smith. I don’t want to leave anyone out because they’re all kind of vying and viable candidates with big league time. Jeter Downs is here. (Jorbit) Vivas, (Josh) VanMeter. All guys who are vying for different spots.”

Only two spots are settled on the Yankees’ bench: outfielder Trent Grisham and a backup catcher, which will likely be Austin Wells or Jose Trevino. That leaves two openings, with a backup infielder being an obvious need and possibly someone who can play either corner outfield spot.

The other options Boone named are not particularly exciting. Cabrera’s strength is he can play anywhere in the field but he finished 2023 with a disappointing 60 wRC+. Smith had a 49 wRC+ in 49 games for the Oakland A’s last season. Downs hasn’t been able to hit consistently in Triple A. Vivas hasn’t made his major-league debut and is likely slated to begin the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. VanMeter last played in the majors in 2022 and posted a 57 wRC+ in 67 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees also expressed some interest in Gio Urshela and Kiké Hernández this offseason, but Urshela recently signed with the Tigers and the Yankees are not one of Hernández’s finalists.

It’s at least notable that Boone could not outwardly say Peraza, who played 52 games for the Yankees last season, was a shoo-in for a bench spot. And if you’re thinking perhaps Boone just didn’t want to play his hand this early, here’s what he said when asked if he needs to remind Volpe that spring training stats don’t matter.

“Anthony’s our shortstop,” Boone said. “I want him to work and get ready for the season. He’s not the type of guy who’s going to take any day for granted. I don’t feel like I need to have that conversation with him.”

Volpe’s rookie season was nothing more than fine. He was better than expected in the field but below average at the plate and finished with the second-lowest on-base percentage for all MLB-qualified hitters. It’s notable that even a bad spring by Volpe means nothing because Boone is already committing to him being in the lineup on Opening Day. Meanwhile, Peraza, despite being a cost-controlled 23-year-old middle infielder, is being lumped in alongside spring training non-roster invitees.

There’s still over a month to go until the Yankees head to Houston for Opening Day, but there are early signs that Peraza may not be walking into Minute Maid Park.

“Every year, you’re trying to prove that you can play at this level and be someone who can contribute in many different ways,” Peraza said.

“The mentality doesn’t change. At the end of the day, I want to give the best version of myself out there. I don’t make decisions like that about roster construction.”