The goal in Yankees spring training will be a World Series this year, but they also will get a glimpse of what they hope is their future.
Several of the club’s top prospects will get a chance to impress for at least a few weeks in major league camp. Among those receiving their first non-roster invite are young infielders George Lombard Jr. and Roderick Arias, catcher Rafael Flores and righty reliever Eric Reyzelman. High-end prospects invited for a second time include outfielder Spencer Jones and righty Chase Hampton.
On Wednesday, the Yankees announced they have invited 26 players to camp, bringing the total number to 65. Most already had been reported, but the prospects’ invites were of note.
Lombard (19 years old) and Arias (20) are far-off prospects with pedigrees. Lombard was a first-round pick in 2023 who was praised particularly for his glove and baserunning (39 steals in 110 games) last year at Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley. Arias was the jewel of the Yankees’ 2022 international signing period and climbed to Tampa last season.
Flores went undrafted in 2022 and broke out last year, hitting 21 homers and posting an .875 OPS in 122 games at Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. Reyzelman, a fifth-round pick in ’22, was untouchable last year from Rookie Ball to Somerset, striking out 63 in 38 ⅔ innings with a 1.16 ERA.
Much of the prospect attention in camp will go toward Jones and Hampton, who are trying to bounce back from underperformance and injury, respectively.
Jones, a physical marvel with great speed, power and height (6-foot-6), could not carry momentum from a promising camp in ’24 and struck out 200 times in 122 games with Somerset. Hampton, a sixth-round pick in 2022 who had emerged in 2023, technically was invited to camp last year but quickly went down with a flexor strain and later dealt with a groin injury, pitching just 18 ⅔ innings last season.
Among the other prospects invited are infielder T.J. Rumfield, who owns good contact skills and posted an .826 OPS in 114 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year; righty Cam Schlittler, who carried a 3.36 ERA in 25 games between Hudson Valley, Somerset and SWB; and righty Kevin Stevens, who struck out 56 in 39 innings with Somerset last year.
The full list before a camp for which pitchers and catchers report Tuesday:
Pitchers: RHP Sean Boyle, RHP Colten Brewer, RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP Chase Hampton, RHP Geoff Hartlieb, RHP Cristian Hernández, RHP Erick Leal, LHP Brandon Leibrandt, RHP Leonardo Pestana, RHP Eric Reyzelman, RHP Wilking Rodríguez, RHP Cam Schlittler, RHP Kevin Stevens
C: Rafael Flores, Alex Jackson, Omar Martínez
IF: Roderick Arias, George Lombard Jr., T.J. Rumfield
OF: Brennen Davis, Duke Ellis, Spencer Jones, Ismael Munguia
IF/OF: Pablo Reyes, Dominic Smith, Andrew Velazquez
On a busy day for the back end of the roster, the Yankees claimed infielder Braden Shewmake from the Royals and righty Owen White from the Reds while designating righty Allan Winans for assignment.
Both Shewmake and White have one minor-league option remaining. The Yankees’ 40-man roster is now full.
Shewmake, 27, was the 21st-overall pick in the 2019 draft. The shortstop/third baseman/second baseman has appeared in 31 games with the Braves and White Sox over the past two years and has yet to hit. He spent much of last year on the minor league injured list.
White, 25, has pitched seven major league innings with the Rangers over the past two years. A second-round pick in 2018, White bounced between the rotation and bullpen at Triple-A last season and pitched to a 5.64 ERA in 99 innings.
The Yankees had claimed Winans from the Braves a few weeks ago.
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