It can be extremely difficult for players coming up through the Yankees’ organization to grab spots on their roster due to how much talent they import annually. Brian Cashman tries to bring in proven veterans when he can to supplement positions, viewing prospects as more of a contingency plan if those players are struggling.
This year, there are multiple players in the upper levels of the farm system who the Yankees need to see some serious improvements from to keep them here long-term. From guys who are in their final year of having Minor League options to players who just don’t have much time to establish themselves on the roster.
New York is a competitive market for baseball talent, and if these three guys want to keep their spot in the organization secure for 2026, they’ll need to fly up the depth chart.
Can Everson Pereira Re-Gain His Top Prospect Status After Surgery?
Everson Pereira’s ability to do damage on contact and make elite swing decisions made him a top-100 prospect in 2023, but his 27-game stint in the Bronx unveiled a brutal flaw that could stop him from ever reaching the Majors again. With a 38.8% K%, all of Pereira’s contact issues were on full display for the other 29 teams in baseball to see, and following Tommy John Surgery last season, his value has seemingly crashed.
When you’re measuring Everson Pereira’s power tool on the traditional 20-80 scale, it’s hard to argue it should be any lower than a 70 with just how much damage he does on contact. Since being promoted to Triple-A during the summer of 2023, the 24-year-old has a 12.6% Barrel% with 28 home runs in 121 games, but with a 36.4% Whiff%, there’s not much to indicate that he’ll be able to take advantage of his elite power.
In 2024 there were some strides made in May, but they came at the cost of some game power which could have been the product of playing through a UCL tear. If Everson Pereira gets to Spring Training and stays healthy, an assignment to Scranton could allow him to get the everyday reps needed to continue improving his ability to make contact. The goal isn’t to make contact at a league-average clip but to improve on what are truly bottom-of-the-barrel Z-Contact% numbers.
His aggressive approach will allow him to have a K% lower than one would expect for someone with his Whiff Rates, and an Everson Pereira who has a K% around 25% in Triple-A could be a dangerous force in the big leagues. Pereira looked sharp in left field, which is remarkably difficult to play at Yankee Stadium, and this season might be the most important of his professional career.
The Yankees will lose the ability to option Everson Pereira down to Triple-A after the conclusion of the 2025 season, and if he isn’t a proven big-leaguer by the end of the season he could end up being a journeyman signing MiLB deals.
Jorbit Vivas Can Try to Steal a Job in Yankees’ Infield Shuffle
Just like Everson Pereira, Jorbit Vivas has just one year with Minor League options left, and the Yankees are going to need him to find a role on this roster by the end of 2025 or cut him loose in 2026. Things looked great for Vivas before the All-Star Break, as the team called him up for a series and he had a 120 wRC+ with Scranton. His excellent plate discipline and funky swing made him an interesting candidate to snag a job from one of the infielders on the team.
Vivas does a good job getting the ball out to right field while making tons of contact and working walks, but his raw power leaves a lot to be desired. The Yankees view him as a second baseman and third baseman, with that versatility being a route for him to win a job on the roster. With good swing decisions, good contact rates, and good pulled flyball rates, if Jorbit Vivas could figure out a way to consistently tap into his power, he could be a nice utility man.
Brian Cashman mentioned him among the internal candidates fighting for a starting job, and while I’m not sure he’s going to win a spot in the everyday lineup, perhaps he earns a spot on their bench. The Yankees would love to add some extra speed, but I ultimately expect him to be optioned to Triple-A and wait in the wings in case of injury. Getting those power numbers up is a must; the only way for Jorbit Vivas to consistently contribute is to do damage on contact.
The solid infield glove and good baserunning skills provide utility off of the bench, but if the bat is able to develop to a point where he can hit a little, there’s a big-league role to be had. If it’s not as a starter that’s fine, but Jorbit Vivas doesn’t want to end up in a situation where he’s out of MiLB options next Spring Training and doesn’t have a defined role on the team.
Why 2025 Could Be the Year of Ben Rice
In his MLB debut, Ben Rice put up a 73 wRC+ and .264 OBP in 50 games, and while that would be a reason for fans to give up on him entering his age-26 season, the underlying metrics were beyond enticing. Rice was in the 67th Percentile in Z-Contact%, the 88th Percentile in SEAGER, and the 80th Percentile in Damage Rate after being promoted to the Majors, having an extremely well-rounded profile at the plate.
The biggest reason that Ben Rice struggled was because of a .186 BABIP, which he has no chance of repeating if he does damage at the rate he did last season. Rice can pull the ball in the air and take advantage of the short porch in right field, and he’s a dark horse candidate to win a job as the team’s leadoff hitter down the road. Various projection systems view Ben Rice as a quality MLB bat, with ZiPS projecting a 114 wRC+, 22 HRs, and a .430 SLG% across 114 games and Steamer projecting a 112 wRC+.
Unlike the other two players on this list, Ben Rice has two years with MiLB options remaining, and that could keep him in the organization beyond 2025 even if he doesn’t carve out a role on the big-league team. With that being said, the current 1B/DH situation opens the door for Rice to almost guarantee a shot to win a job during the season. Paul Goldschmidt is on a one-year deal and is coming off of a down year in his age-37 season, he isn’t a lock to perform.
Giancarlo Stanton also has spent time on the IL every single season dating back to 2019, opening up time for Ben Rice to play as a DH as well. The time for Ben Rice to play will be there, and when he gets the opportunity, he has to run with it and grab that job for good. Rice has the highest ceiling on this list with the way Yankee Stadium fits his swing and the way that his power has played at the pro level.
Ben Rice hit 24 home runs in 79 games with a 163 wRC+ and 20.2% K% in the Minor Leagues last season, and if it ever clicks in the big leagues, we could be looking at a long-term fixture in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup.