Yankees Prospect Report: August 3, 2026
By Jordan Parker ·
The Lombard Surge: Triple-A's Hottest Hitter Isn't Slowing Down
George Lombard Jr. (AAA, SS, Rank: 1) had another strong week in Scranton, going 8-for-33 with a double, a triple, a homer, 4 RBI, and 4 walks. Those counting totals fit neatly into a broader run that has become one of the most compelling stories in the entire system: over the last 30 days, Lombard is slashing .393/.507/.714 across 15 games, with 4 home runs, 13 walks, and a contact profile that looks nothing like the player who hit .215 at Double-A Somerset a year ago. The transformation from 2025 to 2026 is real. Last year across 132 games he posted a .235/.367/.381 line with modest power; this year, combining stints at Double-A and Triple-A, he's at .284/.411/.498 with 12 home runs and 60 walks in 78 games. The walk rate has always been there. What's new is the authority in his contact.
Lombard is a 60 athlete with above-average speed, a 55 arm, and the defensive profile to stay at shortstop long-term. The power projection is 55, and the recent game log suggests he's already accessing it with regularity. The hit tool grades at 50, and the current hot stretch is pushing that grade rather than exceeding it — this looks like a player playing to projection, not above it. The swing-and-miss history is real; he struck out 7 times in 33 plate appearances this week, and the 116 strikeouts across his combined minor league career are a legitimate concern at the next level. But the walk-to-strikeout improvement is meaningful, and a 21-year-old putting up a .507 on-base percentage at Triple-A over a month-long stretch earns a closer look from the front office. A September call-up feels like the minimum expectation if this continues.
Marinez Is Making the DSL Look Small
Stiven Marinez (R, SS, Rank: 36) had the week's highest performance index among all Yankees hitters, with 5 hits, a double, a triple, a home run, 3 RBI, 5 walks, and a hit-by-pitch across 18 plate appearances. For an 18-year-old whose entire profile was built around on-base skills and defense rather than impact, the power output is a genuine development flag. Over the last 30 days he's hitting .328 with a .477 on-base percentage, and his season line sits at .310/.451/.535 across 195 plate appearances in the DSL. The 36 walks against 28 strikeouts across 42 games reflect the advanced zone feel that grades out as his carrying trait, and he's already swiped 29 bases this year after 22 a season ago.
The grades on Marinez are conservative: a 45 hit, 40 power, with a projection as a glove-first up-down infielder. The current season is making those grades feel stingy, at least in terms of the approach component. The bat path concerns are still valid — hitting DSL arms is not the same as squaring up High-A velocity — and the modest power grades reflect a realistic assessment of what his frame can generate long-term. Still, a teenager posting a .535 slugging percentage while walking more than he strikes out is not a player you ignore. I'd take the over on those hit and power grades if the next level of competition tells us the approach is real. There's a wide range of outcomes here, but Marinez is doing everything he can to push his timeline forward.
Rivas Quietly Building a Case at Double-A
Xavier Rivas (AA, LHP, Rank: 42) threw six scoreless innings against Double-A hitters this week, scattering 4 hits while striking out 7 against 3 walks. That outing fits a recent stretch that looks nothing like his season line: over the last 30 days he's posted a 1.19 ERA across 22.2 innings with 30 strikeouts, a .84 WHIP, and just 2 home runs allowed. The season ERA of 3.70 across 75.1 innings carries a 108-strikeout total, which is the real story for a left-hander graded as a reliever-ceiling profile. The command is still the problem — 38 walks on the year — but when Rivas is synced, the fastball-slider combination produces swings-and-misses at a starter-worthy clip.
His profile grades out with a 50 fastball sitting 93-95, a 50 slider, and a below-average changeup, with command sitting at 40. The projection is reliever, with a quad-A outcome as the base case. The current stretch doesn't fully contradict that read — the walk rate hasn't meaningfully corrected over a full season — but 30 strikeouts in roughly 22 innings of Double-A work is a legitimate data point. If he continues missing bats at this rate and the walk total starts coming down as the calendar turns to August, there's a conversation to be had about whether the reliever label becomes a higher-leverage one sooner than expected.
Quick Hits
Wilberson De Pena (A, OF, Rank: 21) · hit 2 home runs and drove in 2 runs across 18 plate appearances in his first taste of full-season ball at Tampa. The 19-year-old is slashing .377/.411/.754 over his last 30 days back at the complex level, with 6 homers and 19 RBI in that span. His combined season line across rookie and Low-A sits at .350/.402/.671 with 18 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 60 games. The power is real; the hit tool and plate discipline are still projects — he has just 18 walks against 53 strikeouts on the year — but at 19 years old, mashing at this rate in any context demands attention.
Ernesto Martinez Jr. (AAA, 1B, Rank: 39) · collected 8 hits including a double and triple across 23 plate appearances, driving in 4 runs. The contact output is encouraging and reflects his 55 hit tool, but the 16-homer season total and .456 slugging percentage at Scranton represent a legitimate power step over his 2025 line (.388 slugging in Triple-A with Nashville). At 27, the window is narrow, but he continues to hit enough to stay relevant in organizational depth conversations.
Brando Mayea (A, OF, Rank: 29) · went 6-for-18 with 2 home runs and 2 RBI at Tampa. The power outburst is worth tracking; he entered the week with just 5 homers across 256 plate appearances on the season. Mayea has a 70 speed grade and legitimate center field tools, but the offensive profile has lagged — he was hitting .243/.320/.343 on the year before this week, with concerning ground ball tendencies. His last-30-day line of .278/.342/.431 with 3 home runs is a better direction, and at 20 years old there's still runway for the bat to catch up to the speed.
Jackson Lovich (A+, SS, Rank: 18) · went 8-for-24 with 2 RBI and 3 walks in his first week at Hudson Valley after a promotion from Tampa. The hit total is encouraging for a player whose 45 hit tool grade has been the central question all year; he was batting .282/.357/.501 combined with 18 home runs before the move up. Lovich has posted 23 stolen bases and over 100 hits across both levels, building a case that the bat is ahead of the conservative projection even if the swing-and-miss (110 strikeouts on the year) isn't going away.
Bryce Cunningham (A+, RHP, Rank: 10) · worked 6.2 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts and zero walks. The walk-free outing is the headline: his season walk total of 32 across 63.1 innings has been the main drag on an otherwise promising two-pitch combination built around a 60 fastball and 60 changeup. His last-30-day ERA sits at 5.03, so this was his cleanest start of the stretch. Still projecting as a potential number three starter if the command consolidates.
Henry Lalane (A+, LHP, Rank: 12) · threw 6.1 innings of one-run ball, giving up 3 hits and walking 2 while punching out 5 in his third start at Hudson Valley since a promotion from Tampa. The combined season ERA of 2.77 across 78 innings with 98 strikeouts is the best number in the system's starting pitching group. His fastball sits 92-97, and the slider and changeup both project above average. I'd have him higher than rank 12 in this system given the results and the three-pitch mix.
Sean Paul Liñan (A+, RHP, Rank: 17) · gave up 3 earned runs over 7.1 innings, scattering 5 hits and striking out 7 against just 1 walk. The efficiency was the positive note; his 5.98 season ERA and 1.44 WHIP reflect a year in which the walk and homer rates have been elevated, but the plus changeup and average fastball continue to generate swings. His last-30-day ERA of 4.58 still beats the season figure, suggesting at least some stabilization.
Ben Hess (AA, RHP, Rank: 9) · struck out 4 over 5.2 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits with 1 walk in his Somerset start. Hess owns a 60 curveball and 60 slider to go with a 94-98 fastball, and his last-30-day ERA of 3.33 across 24.1 innings is a meaningful step forward from a 3.81 season mark. Command at 45 is the ceiling constraint; when he's in the zone, the breaking ball combination is among the better in the system.
Elmer Rodríguez (AAA, RHP, Rank: 2) · worked 4.2 innings of scoreless ball at Scranton, allowing 4 hits while striking out 4 against 2 walks. His Triple-A ERA of 2.77 through 81.1 innings remains the headline, though his four big-league starts have gone less smoothly (4.76 ERA, 1.76 WHIP). The fastball sits 95-97 and the slider is a legitimate put-away offering; the changeup and command are the remaining gaps between him and a stable major league rotation spot.
Jace Avina (AA, LF, Rank: 30) · managed just 3 hits in 25 plate appearances but drew 7 walks and a hit-by-pitch, contributing to 2 RBI. The on-base approach has been his calling card during a rough contact stretch; he's hitting .214 over the last 30 days but posting a .365 OBP in that same window. His 19 home runs and .518 slugging percentage on the season reflect real power production against Double-A arms, and the 47 walks against 98 strikeouts is a workable ratio for a corner bat if the power holds.
Roderick Arias (A+, SS, Rank: 23) · went 7-for-24 with 3 doubles and a hit-by-pitch at Hudson Valley, though he went 0-for-0 in RBI opportunities and struck out 11 times. The contact was there — he's hitting .301 over the last 30 days — but the 116 strikeouts across 93 games this season underscore the swing-and-miss concern that keeps his ceiling capped at utility. He's a 60 runner with solid actions at short, and a .357 OBP on the season shows the approach is functional, but the hit tool needs to take a step for him to profile beyond the up-down projection.