Yankees: A Look at the Non-Roster Invitees
One of my favorite posts every year is an analysis of the non-roster invitees to spring training. The odds that one of these players will make the team are low, but it’s happened many times before.
As a reminder, anyone on the 40-man roster is automatically invited and is not considered “non-roster.” Hence, Elmer Rodriguez and Spencer Jones won’t be on this list.
Catchers
Abrahan Gutierrez – Drafted in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, Gutierrez owns a 473-game minor league career. His offense peaked in High-A (.258/.357/.410 in 530 plate appearances). Double-A (.241/.305/.332) and Triple-A (.250/.333/.295) haven’t been as kind. He provides organizational depth in a system that is lacking catchers.
Payton Henry – A 6th-round pick by the Brewers in 2016, Henry has 20 games of Major League experience with the Marlins (2021-2022). In those 20 games, he owns a .186/.314/.209 triple slash. In 2025, the 28-year-old hit .249/.323/.415 with 11 home runs in 269 plate appearances for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley.
Miguel Palma – Only 24, Palma was handed $300,000 by the Astros in 2018. That was significant, as the Astros were unable to hand out any bonuses higher than that (this was under the old rules, when you were penalized for going over your international budget). Pipeline ranked him 24th in the Astros system in 2024, noting his strong defense (though with a below-average arm) and double-digit homer potential.
Ali Sanchez – Signed to a minor league contract, Sanchez has the most experience amongst the quartet. In 50 career games between the Mets, Cardinals, Marlins, Blue Jays, and Red Sox (well-travelled), he owns a .183/.220/.233 (24 wRC+) line. Most professionals can do that if they bring a wiffle ball bat to the plate. In 2024, while playing with the Marlins, his defense was strong in only 31 games, but his horrendous offense still made it impossible to avoid a negative fWAR (-0.2).
Infielders
Paul DeJong – Everyone reading this knows about DeJong, who has played in 925 MLB games with the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Giants, White Sox, Royals, and Nationals. In 2024, he belted 24 home runs. That is impressive, though it came with a less-than-ideal .227/.276/.427 triple slash. While he is a versatile infielder with plenty of shortstop experience, it’s hard to see a role for him, especially since he isn’t a lefty masher.
George Lombard Jr. – Lombard Jr. was impressive last spring, leading some dimwits to suggest he should break spring training with the big club. Thankfully, that’s not how MLB teams operate. It is always fun seeing the top prospects, but don’t go crazy if he starts 9-for-16 or something silly like that. Can he make his debut sometime in 2026? If I had to place a percentage on that, maybe 20%?
Jonathan Ornelas – A 3rd-round pick by the Rangers in 2018, Ornelas was one of the first minor league free agent signings this offseason. He hasn’t done much in his 32-game MLB career (Rangers, Braves), and his 115-game Triple-A sample was atrocious in 2025 (.196/.295/.303; 62 wRC+). Like many players of his ilk, he earns jobs by being versatile. He has minor league experience at 2B/SS/3B/LF/CF.
Zack Short – Strength: 15 home runs in 594 plate appearances isn’t so bad. Weaknesses: Despite that, he is a career .172/.271/.296 hitter who rates out below average offensively and defensively. Maybe he’s a nice guy? If he isn’t, oof.
Outfielders
Kenedy Corona – Corona (who will be 26 in March) made his debut with the Astros in 2025, going 0-for-2 with a pair of walks. Why do we talk about the Double-A wall so much? In High-A, Corona looked like a legitimate prospect, hitting .296/.380/.507 with 12 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 68 games (308 plate appearances). In Double-A, those numbers fell to .234/.325/.390, though he did hit 22 home runs and steal 55 bases in 189 games (816 plate appearances). He has speed and can play any outfield position, which gives him marginal value.
Duke Ellis – How many players in history have a career 1.000 average with the Yankees? In 2024, the Yankees called him up, and he went 1-for-1 in three games. Including his brief tenure with the White Sox, the speedster has five stolen bases (five attempts) in 11 career games. In the minors, he is 180-for-205 in 359 games. FYI: I won’t force you to answer the trivia question. Seven players have hit 1.000 with the Yankees: Ellis, Larry Gowell, Chris Latham, Heinie Odom, Branden Pinder, Mickey Witek, and Taylor Trammell. All of them are 1-for-1 except for Latham (2-for-2). Pinder was a relief pitcher for the 2015 and 2016 squads. Also a pitcher, Gowell had a cup of coffee for the 1972 squad. He also fits the < 3.00 ERA square on the Immaculate Grid (1.29). He was Shohei Ohtani before Ohtani was born.
Infielders/Outfielders
Seth Brown – Brown hasn’t been an above-average hitter since 2022, when he hit .230/.305/.444 with 25 home runs for the Athletics. His offense fell off from there and crashed in 38 games in 2025. Given his 1B/OF profile, I’d be more intrigued if he batted right-handed.
Marco Luciano – I have written more about Luciano than anyone should write about him in a lifetime. The Yankees claimed him off waivers, designated him for assignment, and snuck him through waivers. He hasn’t done much in 41 career games for the Giants, but he did appear on Top 100 lists from 2020 through 2024. That’s a long time, as prospect fatigue is real. Baseball Prospectus ranked him in the top ten in 2021 and 2022. He’s interesting enough to keep an eye on.
Ernesto Martinez Jr. – The 6’6″ 26-year-old has fewer home runs (56) than stolen bases (86) in his minor league career. Martinez Jr. was a strong Double-A contributor, hitting .276/.363/.442 with 35 doubles and 15 home runs in 581 plate appearances. Additionally, after posting high strikeout rates in the lower minors, he was under 20% in Double-A (it spiked back to 26% in 311 Triple-A plate appearances, however). He declined Cuba’s invitation to play in the World Baseball Classic to concentrate on making the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. Like with Brown, I would be more intrigued if he batted right-handed.
Right-handed pitchers
Michael Arias – Only 24, Arias posted a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings for Somerset in 2025, including a 29/15 K/BB ratio. Arias declared minor-league free agency after the 2025 season but re-signed with the Yankees (likely received a raise). The Yankees originally acquired him from the Cubs for cash in January, 2025. Arias was signed as a shortstop (Blue Jays) but moved to the mound in 2021. Once a Top 20 prospect in the Cubs system, Arias throws hard but often has no idea where it is going. Hitters likely put on extra body armor when they see him strolling to the mound.
Brendan Beck – Beck, who I thought a team may look at in the Rule 5 draft, is a “safe” pitcher who can provide innings with less-than-ideal stuff. He has struggled to stay healthy since being drafted in the 2nd round in 2021, but was able to give them 131.1 innings of 3.36 ERA ball between Somerset and Scranton in 2025. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him make an emergency start for the big club this year.
Harrison Cohen – Cohen is probably their most-ready relief prospect heading into Spring Training. In 29 Triple-A games, he compiled an impressive 1.57 ERA over 28.2 innings with 29 strikeouts and 17 walks. Already 26 years old, it’s funny doing a Google search on Cohen, with doomsday articles popping up because the Yankees left him unprotected before the Rule 5 draft. One article even went down the Garrett Whitlock path. Listen, it sucks that the Yankees lost Whitlock. Not every prospect with a pulse will become Whitlock.
Carson Coleman – Coleman was once a top relief prospect who was slowed considerably by injuries. After the Rangers returned him to the Yankees (they drafted him in the 2023 Rule 5 draft, but he never appeared in a game for the organization due to injury), he posted a 1.57 ERA in 17 innings with a 15/2 K/BB ratio in 2025. That was his first action since 2022, and it would be a fun story if he ever stepped foot on a big league mound.
Dylan Coleman – No relation to Carson, Dylan has pitched in 97 MLB games with the Royals and Astros, posting a 3.84 ERA (4.33 FIP) over 93.2 innings with a 24.2% K and 14% BB. In 2021, his average fastball velocity was 98.2 MPH, and he was still humming at 97.6 in 2022. However, those numbers dipped to 95.2 and 94.4 in 2023 and 2024. He should be considered a sleeper in the Spring Training bullpen competition.
Alexander Cornielle – A lifer in the Brewers organization, Cornielle signed with the Brew Crew as an international free agent in 2019. He made his way through the organization as a starter, tossing 494.1 innings while reaching every level. In 2025, pitching for Double-A and Triple-A, he posted a 3.81 ERA over a career-high 137 innings with a 22.7% K and a 11.9% BB. Perhaps the Yankees will throw him into the bullpen competition, though he appears more likely headed to Scranton as starter depth.
Yovanny Cruz – Signed to a minor league contract in November, Cruz struck out an impressive 28.2% of hitters in 59.1 innings for Double-A Portland (Red Sox) in 2025. I will conveniently ignore the 17.3% walk rate. Cruz supposedly can reach triple digits with his 4-seam fastball, but has limited control/command of the pitch.
Drake Fellows – The Yankees have never had a “Drake” on their big league roster, giving him a chance to make some history. Like Cornielle, Fellows tossed a career high in innings in 2025 (112.1), posting a 4.41 ERA (4.46 FIP). He doesn’t strike hitters out (19.5%), relying more on groundballs (41.9%). The Pirates acquired Fellows as part of the Joe Musgrove trade in 2021. That was the trade that sent prospect David Bednar to the Pirates as well.
Bradley Hanner – Hanner struck out 29% of hitters for Cleveland’s Triple-A squad in 2025, though his inability to keep the ball in the ballpark (13 HR in 49.1 innings) and throw consistent strikes (11.7% BB) holds down his upside. He’s a project for Scranton’s coaching staff to worry about.
Ben Hess – Like Cam Schlittler last year, it wouldn’t shock me if Hess made his debut this season. The 2024 first-rounder had a 33% strikeout rate in his debut campaign, including a 31.3% rate in 36.2 innings for Double-A Somerset. Among pitchers who tossed at least 100 minor league innings, he ranked 6th in strikeout percentage. Fellow Yankees’ farmhand Carlos Lagrange was 5th (33.4%).
Adam Kloffenstein – Kloffenstein made it to the majors with the Cardinals in 2024, tossing one scoreless inning. Reacquired by the team that drafted him (Blue Jays) before 2025, he posted a 6.26 ERA in 82 Triple-A innings. He should provide starting depth in Scranton.
Carlos Lagrange – I just mentioned Lagrange under the Hess blurb. How much more needs to be said? He throws exceptionally hard, topping out at 103. He is a big kid who has control issues that often accompany tall pitchers. The upside is enormous, and one can dream about how hard he might throw in short relief stints. That’s not for now, however. The smart play is to keep him in the rotation as the possibility of him becoming a top-flight starter still exists.
Travis MacGregor – Back in 2016, the Pirates selected MacGregor in the second round out of high school. He has since appeared in 229 minor league games (68 starts), compiling a 4.72 ERA in 526.1 innings. After being a nearly-exclusive starter between 2016 and 2021, he has been mostly a reliever since. 2025 was the first season where he didn’t start at all, but the numbers didn’t respond to the permanent switch (4.94 ERA in 51 innings). That said, he generates a solid groundball rate (45.9% in 2025) and strikes out enough hitters (23.9%) to keep you interested.
Left-handed pitchers
Kyle Carr – Carr earned this invitation. The third round pick in 2023 (Palomar College) pitched to a 1.96 ERA over 119.1 innings for High-A Hudson Valley. His strikeout rate was average-ish (21.7%), but his groundball rate was elite (51.7%). This earned him a promotion to Double-A Somerset, where his first taste didn’t go well (8.56 ERA, though in a small 13.2 inning sample). Advanced metrics paint the picture of a pitcher who had some good luck in High-A and bad luck in Double-A. His 3.74 overall FIP probably points to how good he really was.
Bottom Line:
The Yankees have a few competitions this spring, so we’ll see if any of these players step up to take one. There was talk today from Jon Heyman that the Yankees are likely to start Jasson Dominguez in Triple-A, which would open an additional slot.
Missing from the list of non-roster invitees is Mexican League MVP Nick Torres. I can also see the argument for LHP Brock Selvidge. I have no idea what is going on with relief prospect Eric Reyzelman. I was convinced he would make it in 2025, but he struggled badly in Scranton before ending the season on the injured list.
The catching depth is interesting, if the definition of “interesting” is scary. They go three deep with Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra, and Ben Rice. Stay healthy, guys.