Yankees' Isiah Kiner-Falefa taking outfield reps as 2022 starting shortstop looks headed for 2023 utility role

The Yankees could be ready to turn to Oswald Peraza as their starting shortstop entering this season

Isiah Kiner-Falefa may have been the New York Yankees primary shortstop last season, starting there 131 times overall, but it seems like he could be filling a new role in the new year, as a utility type. The Yankees have not yet ruled out deploying Kiner-Falefa as their starting shortstop; what they have done is experiment with him at other positions, including soon the outfield.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch) on Tuesday that Kiner-Falefa has been working with former big-league outfielder Nick Swisher to learn the nuances of playing on grass. Kiner-Falefa will even be making an appearance in center field in spring training before the week elapses. Boone added that he thinks Kiner-Falefa could be a "natural" out there.

Kiner-Falefa has never played the outfield in the majors. He's not a complete novice, however, as he did appear in 10 games in the outfield as a minor-league player. His most recent appearance in center field came back in 2017, which explains why the Yankees have him receiving a crash-course education before he's tasked with an in-game assignment. 

Kiner-Falefa had a disappointing first season in the Bronx after getting traded to the Yankees almost exactly one year ago. He hit .261/.314/.327 (84 OPS+) with four home runs and 22 stolen bases. Some public defensive metrics were high on his glovework; Baseball-Reference, for instance, estimated him to have contributed three Wins Above Replacement. Nevertheless, the Yankees moved off Kiner-Falefa as their everyday shortstop during the postseason, and it seems more likely than not that they'll roll with youngster Oswald Peraza as their starter heading into the season.

Kiner-Falefa, in turn, would move into a utility role that would see him ping-pong around the diamond as Boone sees fit. At minimum, it can't hurt the Yankees to have another player with some outfield experience to their name -- particularly since starting outfielder Harrison Bader is expected to miss the start of the season because of a strained oblique. In just a matter of days, Kiner-Falefa will get the chance to prove he's up for it.