The Yankees are heading into the 2025 season with high expectations. They made it to the World Series in 2024, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, but still appear to be the top team in the American League. After a busy off-season of adding veteran players, the Bronx Bombers still have impressive young bodies that can make an impact on the team.
Austin Wells finished the 2024 season third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, and will now be given the keys to the position after the Trevino trade. Wells finished the season with 115 games played, and 414 plate appearances, with a slash line of .229/.322/.395. The numbers improved substantially when he earned regular playing time after a Trevino quad injury in mid-July, and he was moved to the clean-up spot behind Aaron Judge.
Anthony Volpe took the reins at shortstop in 2023, and despite an inconsistent 2024 season, he showed improvements. He had more runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, and stolen bases in his second year, which allowed him to improve his batting average and on-base percentage. His home runs and slugging percentage went down, but he needs to become a contact, hit machine to set the tone for the true power bats of the lineup like Judge and Stanton.
Luis Gil took the league by storm in 2025 winning the American League Rookie of the Year, the first Yankee pitcher to do so since Dave Righetti in 1981. In 29 starts this season, Gil posted a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA. Across 151 2/3 innings, he allowed 104 hits and 77 walks while striking out 171, with the league managing a .189/.297/.345 slash line. After an early Gerrit Cole injury, Gil stepped into the rotation and steadied the ship until the ace returned. In 2025, Gil will look to continue his growth in what has become a deep starting five.
Jasson Dominguez is one of the more interesting names on this list because while he has seen time in the MLB he is still regarded as a prospect with unknown potential. After being labeled “The Martian” and in the national spotlight since he was 16 years old, he will finally have the chance to secure one of the starting outfield slots for the New York Yankees. He came up as a Center-fielder, but will likely see time in left in 2025, and is a switch-hitting power bat with some speed to his game. He will offer some lineup versatility for the Yankees who like to alternate their lefties and righties.
Spencer Jones has been the name on everyone’s lips for the Yankees along with Dominguez. Jones is an intriguing outfield prospect with impressive athleticism for a 6-6 235-pound player. It is unsure how the Yankees see Jones fitting into this outfield in 2025 with the top-4 spots being taken (Dominguez, Judge, Bellinger, and Grisham), but if the injury bug takes hold, it would be interesting to see if the Yankees try to see what Jones has either as a future starter or a trade chip. The scouting report says that his bat speed, strength, and leverage produce well-above-average raw power and exit velocities, though there are some concerns about how much of his pop will play in games. Jones shows average speed out of the batter’s box and covers the ground in center field with his long strides.
Everson Pereira’s ascension has taken hits because of injuries but has shown promise as an above-average power hitter with plus speed and base-stealing ability. As an outfielder, he is scouted to have good instincts, solid range, and a plus arm. What hinders him is his approach at the plate against MLB pitching. In his debut last summer for the Yankees he hit .151 with 40 strikeouts in 93 at-bats. Pereira is only 23 years old so with a little more experience he is an interesting prospect to keep an eye on for similar reasons as Jones, can he be a future impact player or a trade prospect?
Ben Rice put his name on every Yankee fan’s map in 2024 and it will be interesting to see if a year behind Paul Goldschmidt will propel him to the first baseman of the future. A catcher by trade, Rice spent a lot of time learning first base last season before filling in for the injured Anthony Rizzo. While the Yankees are still high on Rice’s catching skills, sticking at first could be a better long-term fit for Rice and the Yankees.
Jorbit Vivas might be the only MLB-ready infield prospect for the Yankees as George Lombard Jr. and Roderick Arias are labeled with a 2027 ETA. He has ranked in the top 15 in the Minors in strikeout rate in each of his three years in full-season ball, fanning in just 11 percent of his plate appearances during that time. He reached Triple-A at age 22 in 2023 before Los Angeles needed to clear 40-man roster space and dealt him to the Yankees. He has sure hands and average range at second base but isn’t suited to play elsewhere. If he can improve his range and arm strength even a little bit, he could be an important asset in the case of injuries.
Will Warren appeared in six games for the Yankees in 2024 and despite some bright spots still showed that he had some growing to do. Along with a solid fastball, Warren improved his slider and added a sinker since being drafted in 2021. With more experience, he will learn to command the strike zone while controlling his arsenal. It is unlikely he will become a front-of-the-rotation arm, but if he can solidify the back of the rotation, it will add even more versatility for the Yankees behind Cole, Rodon, Gil, and Fried.
Chase Hampton is another starting option behind Warren, but will likely be more of a factor in 2026 since he hasn’t seen Triple-A yet. He appears to have plus pitches in his fastball and slider, while he continues to work on a cutter, curveball, and changeup. He has the upside of a No. 3 starter and will be able to help the Yankees as soon as he fine-tunes his command.
Clayton Beeter, Yoendrys Gomez and Michael Arias could all be options in the bullpen this season, with Beeter and Gomez having already seen MLB time in 2024. We know that Brian Cashman surprises with stud relief pitchers that come in with spring training invites, but with options in the minors as well, the Yankees should be set up with another good bullpen.
With the Yankees being in the middle of their Championship window, they will most likely aim to have veterans be their primary depth pieces to go along with the young talent already in the majors. Lastly, Cashman has been known to hold onto prospects too long or evaluate prospects incorrectly. It will be interesting to monitor which of these players help the Yankees on the field or are part of trade packages to bring in more MLB-ready talent.
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