A look at the Yankees’ non-roster invite list for Spring Training.
Remember that players on the 40-man roster do not appear on this list.
Additionally, more players could eventually be in camp than what they announced. This is especially true early in camp, as many catchers are needed. You will always see prospects not on this list appear in a handful of spring training games, etc.
RHP Sean Boyle – Drafted in the 25th round in 2018 out of Dallas Baptist, Boyle has tossed 351.1 minor league innings, going 30-13 with a 3.54 ERA and 379 strikeouts. Due to injury, he threw only 56 innings between 2023 and 2024.
RHP Colten Brewer – Brewer has pitched for four teams over six major league seasons, including three games for the 2023 Yankees. He spent 2024 with the Cubs, compiling a 5.66 ERA over 20.2 innings. He owns a 5.10 ERA in 100 MLB games with a 50.9% GB rate.
RHP Carlos Carrasco – Carrasco has 110 MLB wins and a top 4 Cy Young Award finish in 15 seasons. His last decent season was in 2022 when he went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA/3.53 FIP/23.6% K/97 ERA+ for the Mets. He is a long shot to make the team, and as a veteran, I wonder if he has spring training optouts built into his deal.
RHP Chase Hampton – If not for the dreaded injury bug, Hampton could have made his MLB debut in 2024. Baseball America’s 72nd-best prospect entering 2024 pitched only 18.2 innings over seven starts. The system will look much better if he can bounce back.
RHP Geoff Hartlieb – The 6’5″, 240-point Hartlieb is a 31-year-old project with 79.1 MLB innings for four MLB teams. In those 79.1 innings, he owns a ghastly 7.37 ERA (5.37 FIP) and 14.4% BB rate. On a good note, he has averaged 96 MPH in his MLB career. He will be Scranton depth.
RHP Cristian Hernandez – There are always a few “who is that?” invitees to spring training. Hernandez pitched in the Phillies organization from 2018-2024, reaching as high as Double-A. Between three levels last season, he compiled a 3.67 ERA in 54 innings with a 57/13 K/BB. He is 24 years old.
RHP Erick Leal – Leal, who will turn 30 in March, has never appeared in an MLB game. He owns a lot of experience in professional baseball, however, given that he has tossed 1,114 innings between the minors/foreign leagues/Arizona Fall League. He has not been in affiliated baseball since 2019 as a member of the Cubs’ organization.
LHP Brandon Leibrandt – The 32-year-old Leibrandt is the only left-handed pitcher on the non-roster invitee list. He has two cups of coffee in MLB, one with the Marlins during the 2020 COVID season and one with the Reds last year. He has plenty of professional experience, which will be handy in Somerset.
RHP Leonardo Pestana – An interesting prospect with an injury history, Pestana ascended to Double-A in 2024, compiling a 3.18 ERA in 22.2 innings. I will assume his 2024 move to the bullpen is permanent, and we will see if it can keep him healthy.
RHP Eric Reyzelman – If the Yankees bullpen had openings, I would place Reyzelman on my “spring training sleeper” watch. That said, work is needed, as he walked 19 batters in 38.2 innings in 2024 (he struck out an impressive 63, compiling a 1.19 ERA). If he stays healthy, a 2025 debut is definitely on the table for the flamethrower out of LSU.
RHP Wilking Rodriguez – How is this for a fun story? Rodriguez made his MLB debut in 2014 for the Kansas City Royals. He hasn’t touched an MLB mound since. About to turn 35, he was briefly a member of the Yankees organization in 2015, the last time he was in an affiliated league until resurfacing with the Cardinals in 2023. A bigger longshot, I cannot find. But you have to respect the grind.
RHP Cam Schlittler – Drafted in the 7th round in 2022, Schlittler pitched 120.2 innings in 2024 (mostly for Hudson Valley), compiling a 3.36 ERA and 154/55 K/BB. That ERA is misleading, given that he allowed four earned runs in 1.2 innings in an emergency call-up to Scranton. The Yankees are rewarding him for a job well done and he should be somewhere on your potential 2025 debut list.
RHP Kevin Stevens – An undrafted signing in 2022, Stevens has made an impression. The 26-year-old spent 2024 in Somerset, going 4-0 with a 2.54 ERA over 39 innings. Impressively, he struck out 56 batters. The Yankees have an interesting array of relief prospects, and Stevens earning this trip to spring training speaks volumes to me.
C/1B Rafael Flores – One of the fastest risers in the organization, Flores stormed through the Double-A barrier in his first try, hitting .274/.359/.519 with an impressive 15 homers in 65 games. I don’t know if he is a catcher long-term, but he might have enough stick for first base if he isn’t.
C Alex Jackson – Acquired alongside RHP Fernando Cruz from Cincinnati (for Jose Trevino), Jackson should be in the backup catcher mix along with J.C. Escarra. However, his offense is rated NC-17, given that he has a .132/.224/.232 (27 OPS+) career line over 340 plate appearances.
C Omar Martinez – Perhaps overlooked in the Yankees system, Martinez spent 2024 in Hudson Valley, hitting .238/.374/.404 in 430 plate appearances. A left-handed bat, Martinez has swatted 31 doubles and 31 homers in 874 plate appearances over the last two seasons.
IF Roderick Arias – An international bonus baby, Arias was the 68th-ranked prospect by Baseball America in 2024. He didn’t quite live up to that, hitting .233/.335/.393 in 552 plate appearances for Tampa. That said, he showed off his raw talent, hitting 21 doubles and 13 home runs while stealing 37 bases. Arias struggles to hit right-handed (.544 OPS in 2024) and needs to fix that to reach full potential.
IF George Lombard Jr. – On the surface, Lombard Jr. wasn’t any better than Arias. He hit .231/.338/.334 in 497 plate appearances between Tampa/Hudson Valley with 25 doubles, five homers, and 39 stolen bases. Scouts are higher on him than Arias, and he is beginning to appear on Top 100 lists. He won’t turn 20 until June and could spend most of his summer in the Somerset, NJ sun. An Anthony Volpe-like breakout is not far-fetched.
IF Pablo Reyes – We go from two exciting, young infield prospects to Reyes, a shuttle-type with 233 games of MLB experience. In those games, he has played everywhere on the diamond except catcher (he has four MLB appearances on the hill!). Reyes is a valuable depth player, though you hope you rarely need him. He spent last season with the Red Sox and Mets (1 game).
1B T.J. Rumfield – Rumfield has a bit of a cult following amongst Yankees prospect lovers, given that he impressed at Scranton to the tune of a .292/.365/.461 triple slash in 474 plate appearances. Also known for an elite-level glove, Rumfield shouldn’t be ignored though he is firmly behind Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice on the organizational depth chart.
1B/OF Dominic Smith – A one-time top prospect for the Mets, Smith played for the Red Sox and Reds in 2024, hitting .233/.313/.378 with six home runs in 307 plate appearances. Other than producing at a high level in 139 games between 2019 and 2020 (.299/.366/.571 with 21 homers), Smith has been unable to live up to his prospect billing.
IF Andrew Velazquez – Velazquez was a fan favorite when he was called up in 2021, especially when he hit his first MLB home run. A native of the Bronx and known for his flashy glove, he didn’t appear in an MLB game in 2024. He spent the season in Atlanta’s farm system instead.
OF Brennen Davis – Only 25, Davis was once a top prospect in MLB for the Cubs, making Baseball America’s Top 100 in four straight campaigns (2020-2023). He ascended to 16th before 2022. While injuries and ineffectiveness have hampered his development, I find him as one of the most interesting players on this list. The Yankees aren’t loaded with outfield depth, so maybe he can stay healthy and recapture some of what once made him intriguing. After all, he swatted 11 homers in 55 minor league games last season. Watch closely.
OF Duke Ellis – It may be hard to remember that Ellis was briefly on the playoff roster last year for the Yankees. The speedster could retire today and forever brag that he batted 1.000 for the New York Yankees (he went 1-for-1 in the regular season in 2024). While offense won’t be his claim to fame, he does offer speed and defense. He went 5-for-5 in the stolen base department in 11 MLB games last season and has 140 stolen bases in 158 career minor league attempts.
OF Spencer Jones – Is there a more polarizing prospect in the Yankees system? Is there a more polarizing prospect in all of MLB? Jones has the loud tools teams drool over. He has massive power, can run the bases, and should be able to stick in center field. However, its all about his swing-and-miss and whether he can bring his strikeout percentage down. He struck out 36.8% of the time in Somerset in 2024. However, he still hit .259/.336/.452 with 30 doubles, 17 homers, and 25 stolen bases. Jones won’t be a “fast riser” to MLB and could struggle if/when he finally gets there. One can also continue to claim that he has an All-Star upside and a team with some outfield depth issues shouldn’t be quick to give up on that. Have fun figuring this one out. Anyone who claims to know where this is going is lying.
OF Ismael Munguia – The 26-year-old left-handed bat played from 2016 to 2024 in the Giants’ organization, never reaching MLB. Last year, between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .286/.387/.418 in 372 plate appearances with 18 stolen bases and an equal amount of walks and strikeouts (37).