The New York Yankees are expected to rely on minor leaguers in 2024 to help them take the next step and return to the postseason. Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez were impactful minor leaguers who succeeded in 2023, and Oswaldo Cabrera did it the year before.
A quality team will always welcome talented prospects and young players from Double-A and Triple-A, giving them all the tools to be good at what they do.
Five Minor Leaguers Who Could Help the Yankees in 2024
Everson Pereira
Pereira mastered Double-A (145 wRC+) and Triple-A (132 wRC+) last year but struggled mightily with the Yankees, to the tune of a 23 wRC+ in 103 plate appearances. He was equally bad in spring training and will likely start the season in Scranton.
That doesn’t mean he can’t help the big league team eventually, though. Once he trims his strikeouts a bit (38.8 percent in MLB last year, 41.2 percent in spring training) and consistently makes hard contact, he could be a starting-caliber corner outfielder who could make an impact for the Yanks in 2024.
He will probably open the year in Scranton, but he has the talent to earn his way back to the MLB.
Spencer Jones
Jones helping the 2024 Yankees is not a sure thing to happen. The kid, being so long-levered, can take a bit more time than the average player to go through the high minors. He has to deal with bigger strike zones, and he has a few contact issues to iron out.
However, the possibility of him helping in the majors this year just can’t be completely ruled out. The organization had him make some changes in the offseason to improve his bat-to-ball skills and to tap into his power, with an increased focus on lifting the ball.
Over the short sample that is spring training, they worked: he slashed an impressive .444/.565/.722 with two doubles, one homer, four walks, and three strikeouts. This is a guy who stole 43 bases and hit 16 homers last year between High-A and Double-A before implementing the aforementioned changes. If he succeeds in the high minors before the summer, we might see him in the Bronx this year.
Will Warren
Warren lost out the fifth starter competition to Luis Gil, but it wasn’t because he didn’t perform well. He had a 3.52 ERA in spring training and struck out 13 hitters in 15.1 frames, showing the world his impressive (and improved) stuff.
Warren is just about ready for an extended shot in the majors after posting a 2.45 ERA in Double-A and a 3.61 mark in Triple-A last year. He will start in Scranton instead but will surely see time in MLB once there is an opening. He is just too good to be kept in the minors for long.
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Clayton Beeter
Beeter, like Warren, had a good spring and boasts amazing stuff, headlined by a mid-90s fastball that can reach 97 mph. He was also part of that fifth-starter battle the Yankees held but lost out despite posting a 3.18 spring ERA in 17 frames.
Perhaps the most encouraging development of the spring for Beeter is that he kept his walks in check, giving up just six in the 17 innings against 17 punchouts. It’s huge after he continually ran walk rates in the 14-15 percent range througout his career in the minors.
The Yankees reportedly are ready to give him a spot in the bullpen: he has the tools to be an excellent reliever. However, his ceiling will be much higher if he can harness his stuff.
Ben Rice
In 2023, Rice posted a 155 wRC+ in Single-A, a 205 wRC+ in High-A, and a 182 mark in Double-A, where he also hit 16 home runs in just 48 games.
Rice is not much of a defender, but he can be passable at first base and could also DH and play catcher in a pinch. The Yankees will probably have him play in Triple-A at some point early in the season: if he can display the same level of dominance there, he will force his way into the majors and could be the X-factor in the second half.