Which Yankees Prospects Could Make a Big League Impact in 2026?
The Yankees haven't made many moves this winter, leaving room for some rising youngsters to play key roles next season.
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As teams around the league continue diving into the free agency frenzy, the Yankees have yet to really join in on the fun this offseason. General manager Brian Cashman and company have only re-signed a couple of smaller contributors from the 2025 roster while also recently swinging a trade for Marlins lefty Ryan Weathers.
While the Yankees haven’t made many new additions, the AL East has gotten significantly better around them. The Blue Jays have only gotten stronger with key free agent signings, and teams that finished below the Yankees last season, such as the Orioles and Red Sox, have each made several moves to position themselves as strong contenders for the division in 2026.
Heading into the new season, the Yankees still have some unfilled holes on their roster, with several key pieces in the bullpen leaving in free agency. Luke Weaver and Devin Williams both headed across town and signed with the New York Mets. Both pitchers served time in the setup and closer roles last year.
In addition to bullpen contributors leaving in free agency, injuries will also hinder the starting rotation as the season begins. Former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who missed all of 2024 after Tommy John surgery, likely won’t be ready to return to the rotation until closer to June.
Veteran left-hander Carlos Rodón will also miss the start of the season after an offseason procedure on his pitching elbow to remove bone pieces and shave down a bone spur.
Another injured starting rotation arm to note is Clarke Schmidt, who received Tommy John surgery last July. Schmidt is expected to return in the season’s second half, but with presumptive restrictions.
As the offseason clock starts to run out of time, the Yankees may turn to their minor league system to fill some roles both immediately and later in the season, when injuries can accumulate. Today, we will be exploring some prospects that could see significant time with the Yankees in 2026.
Honorable Mentions
Some prospects in the system have been rising fast and could contribute next season but remain in an outside-looking-in position. Here are a couple of names in the system who could end up making their major league debuts in 2026.
Elmer Rodriguez (formerly known as Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz) has quickly become one of the best pitching prospects in the organization. After he was acquired via trade from the Red Sox for Carlos Narváez in 2024, Rodriguez pitched across three levels of the system in his first season with New York.
He made his final start of the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the playoffs, allowing four runs in five innings.
Altogether, Rodriguez logged a 2.58 ERA in 2025 while tossing 150 innings and striking out 176. He also held opponents to a .192 batting average and only allowed three long balls all season.
While Rodriguez has risen fast, his ETA for a regular major league is closer to 2027. However, he is already on the 40-man roster, so he could be an easy roster move if the Yankees are in a crunch later in the season.
The team will want to properly develop one of the best arms in the system and provide him with a full runway and opportunity when called up.
Another top prospect that has shot up the rankings is big right-hander Carlos Lagrange. He comes in as the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 95 overall prospect in baseball, according to Just Baseball’s latest rankings.
Standing at 6 feet 7 inches and 248 pounds, Lagrange has the potential to be the next superstar arm in New York with his arsenal and physique. He features a fastball that regularly touches the triple digits, along with a wipeout slider and a changeup that lies in the upper 80s with solid depth and movement.
The 22-year-old tossed 120 innings in 2025, posting a 3.53 ERA while striking out 168 and holding opponents to a .191 batting average.
Just like Rodriguez, it will be important for the Yankees to stay on the development track with Lagrange and make sure that he is fully ready before he makes his debut, especially since he is still so young.
One more realistic starting pitching option in the system is 27-year-old Brendan Beck. The former 2021 second-round selection out of Stanford finally pitched in his first full professional season in 2025 after several injury-riddled years due to Tommy John Surgery in 2022.
The right-hander tossed 131.1 innings across Double-A and Triple-A, logging a 3.36 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP, striking out 123.
One of Beck’s best traits is his ability to throw strikes and get outs, sporting a 6.9% walk rate and allowing just 36 total free passes this past year.
One thing to note would be the small home run problem that the righty ran into last season; he gave up 12 home runs in 77 innings after getting called up to Triple-A. Keeping the ball down will be important for him, especially in a place like Yankee Stadium, where the ball can fly out to all fields in the heat of the summer.
As this was his first full season in quite some time, there may have been some wear and tear on the body toward the end of the year, resulting in worse numbers like the home run trouble he ran into. Building up and staying healthy will be incredibly key to Beck’s development in 2026.
Beck profiles as an ideal option to make a handful of spot starts down the stretch, providing the Yankees with a reliable arm that can throw strikes and eat innings.
Spencer Jones (OF)
When it comes to position players in the farm system, Spencer Jones is by far the favorite to play a significant role for the big league club in the coming season. The former Vanderbilt product is aiming to make the Opening Day roster after an explosive 2025 campaign in the minors.
The long-awaited lefty power bat had an outstanding 2025 campaign that has forced his name into the conversation for a roster spot. Jones will look to break onto the big league scene in 2026, whether that is in New York or elsewhere after a trade.
The 24-year-old took some big strides in his development last season. Jones posted a .274/.362/.571 slash line with a .932 OPS and a 153 wRC+ while also walking at a career-high 11.5% rate. Most of his major hitting statistics marked full-season career highs and signify some major improvements after years of top prospect status.
The power has started to truly come to form as projected when he was drafted. The 2022 first-round pick clubbed 35 home runs in 116 games across Double-A and Triple-A, ranking him second among all minor leaguers in 2025.
Regarding Jones’ overall prospect profile, the lingering question has and will always be about his contact and strikeout numbers. In 380 minor league games, he has amassed 554 strikeouts while only working 172 walks.
In 2025, Jones continued to struggle with swing and miss, striking out at an alarming 35.4% rate, which can only reasonably be expected to rise when he begins to face big league pitching. Although his power is undeniable, he must improve his contact and swing decisions to establish himself as a reliable bat at the major league level.
While Jones’s bat has always been the main subject of conversation, he also provides solid defense and versatility in the outfield. He roamed center field for 87 games while also showing the ability to man right and left field, combining for 18 games at the corner spots last season.
This upcoming season will be huge in deciding where Jones stands as a Yankee and as a prospect overall. He is going to turn 25 in May, and the time has come for him to get a run at the major league level.
As the Yankees and Cody Bellinger continue to stall in talks, the idea of Spencer Jones playing meaningful games in New York this season has become increasingly likely. Even if Bellinger stays in New York, Jones could still be competing with former Yankees top prospect Jasson Domínguez for an outfield spot out of spring training if neither gets moved in a deal before then.
Cade Winquest (RHP)
During the Winter Meetings, the Yankees made their first selection in the Rule 5 draft since 2011, taking right-hander Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals. With Cashman’s limited offseason moves to fill bullpen holes, Winquest instantly became an intriguing possibility to compete for a ‘pen spot in 2026.
Winquest was an eighth-round selection by the Cardinals out of Texas-Arlington in 2022, earning mixed results in his first three seasons. He also lost a giant chunk of his 2024 season due to back issues. Across 212.2 minor league innings, he has posted a 4.19 ERA while striking out 219 batters.
He pitched a career-high 106 innings in 2025, recording a 3.99 ERA and striking out 110. In eight games of Double-A, Winquest posted a 3.19 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 42.1 innings of work.
Winquest’s arsenal features a mid-to-upper 90s fastball with the ability to hit triple digits, as well as his best pitch, his curveball. Winquest had an unreal 46% whiff rate on the upper-70s breaking ball last season while using it to hold batters to a .143 batting average.
Along with his pair of plus pitches, his command is one of his best tools. Last season, Winquest posted a career-low 8.5% walk rate and also posted just a 6.8% walk rate in his early showings in Double-A.
While Winquest has mostly been a starting pitcher in his minor league career, he projects to be a possible option to fill a reliever hole in the Yankees’ bullpen. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake will look to utilize Winquest’s two plus pitches to make him a high-strikeout relief option.
His ability to pitch more innings makes him a versatile option out of the ‘pen as well as an opening option in a moment of need.
In his career, Winquest has totaled 51.1 innings as a reliever with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP while striking out 63. His high-velocity fastball, high-whiff rate curveball, and solid command should make for a good bullpen project piece.
If Winquest has a solid showing in spring training, he most certainly can start the season in the Bronx and make an impact right away.
It is important to note that, as a Rule 5 draft selection, Winquest must remain on the Yankees’ big league roster throughout the season; otherwise, he will be placed on outright waivers. If he clears waivers, he must be returned to the Cardinals for half of his $100,000 draft price.
Eric Reyzelman (RHP)
Despite not being the most prominent name in the system, Eric Reyzelman is a reliever who could potentially contribute to the Yankees’ bullpen in 2026. Even last year, Reyzelman gained significant recognition and emerged as a viable option for the bullpen during spring training, so this year should be no different.
After he was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of LSU, he discovered a cyst on his back that required multiple surgeries over a couple of years, only pitching in 15.1 innings across his first two pro seasons.
In 2024, Reyzelman broke onto the scene by posting an impressive 1.16 ERA in 38.2 innings across three minor league levels, finishing the season in Double-A. He struck out an impressive 63 batters while holding opponents to a staggering .136 batting average.
Reyzelman experienced setbacks in a few areas during the 2025 season. He struck out 18 fewer batters and walked 23 more while pitching just 3.1 more innings. His walk percentage jumped from 12.3% in 2024 to 22.3% in 2025, and he also saw his strikeout percentage drop from an unreal 40.9% to 23.9% last season.
When it comes to his arsenal, Reyzelman features an upper-90s fastball that has shown solid arm-side run and a sweeper that has demonstrated elite horizontal break. He also throws a changeup that fades well off his sweeper, but it has generally lacked consistency compared to his other two offerings.
Losing some command and life on his pitches contributed heavily to a disappointing season, but it very well could have kept him in the Yankees system. Reyzelman was left off the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft but went unselected, keeping him in the minors with New York.
While his 2025 results didn’t match the year prior, if he can return to a form similar to his 2024 self, then he still projects as a viable reliever option out of spring training. Even if he doesn’t make the team out of camp, we could expect to see him this season after injuries build up.
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Originally from Rochester, New York, Cai Rogers is a Senior at the University of Oregon, studying Advertising and Sports Business. Cai is a Lifelong Yankee fan…