With the 40-man roster deadline today, teams such as the -york-yankees/ will have to make difficult decisions on who they’re willing to risk losing for free this winter.
Those not put on the 40-man roster who are Rule-5 eligible will be available for teams to pluck in the Rule 5 Draft, which keeps teams (such as the Yankees) from hoarding talent and keeping them stashed away in the Minor Leagues.
Few teams have as many roster crunches as New York, who has to decide between players who would make most 40-man rosters and leave some unprotected in the draft.
While top prospects are near-locks to be protected when Rule 5 eligible, its the backend of their top 30 or their non-ranked players who end up being the biggest question marks for being kept or not.
You might be hearing of these names for the first time in this article, but these are the players whom the Yankees should at least consider protecting on their 40-man roster by 6 PM tonight.
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The Obvious Additions: Spencer Jones & Elmer Rodriguez
Spencer Jones and Elmer Rodriguez (formerly known as Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz) are locks to be added to the 40-man rosters, and both could have their MLB debuts occur in 2026.
As a centerfielder and starting pitcher, both also conveniently play positions of need for the Yankees, and while I’d be stunned to see the team rely on both to be Opening Day options, injuries could open the door for their arrivals.
Jones has big-time power with elite speed that scouts rave about, and the belief is that he could stick in centerfield and provide excellent defense at the position.
His skills come with massive flaws though; he has one of the worst contact rates for any qualified MiLB hitter, and his strikeout rates could balloon above 40% if he doesn’t adjust to MLB pitching.
As for Elmer Rodriguez, the right-hander has a higher floor but a lower ceiling than Jones, as the right-hander sports a deep pitch mix with above-average velocity.
His command improved as the year went on, but he could have some walk issues at the Major League level in the first year or so of his career.
The other worry is that the shapes aren’t great, so the repertoire grades out as average not above-average despite the weird release point and good velocity.
Both are fringe top-100 prospects, although I view Elmer Rodriguez as the kind of pitcher whom the Yankees typically get a ton of value from.
Strong Cases to Be Added to the Yankees’ 40-Man Roster
Harrison Cohen is the first name that stands out among the group of Rule 5 eligible pitchers for a variety of reasons, especially since he’s a reliever on a team that will need bullpen support this winter.
The 36.5% Whiff% in Triple-A was fueled by his nasty changeup and interesting cutter, but his fastball lags behind those two pitches in terms of results and pitch grades.
A low-release height pitcher who can lose the zone at times, Cohen has the upside to be an impact bullpen weapon, and its why I’d place him on the 40-man over some option-less arms like Allan Winans.
His teammate, T.J. Rumfield has a very interesting case to be rostered as well, displaying excellent bat-to-ball skills with a swing that would fit Yankee Stadium well.
During his time in the Minor Leagues he won a Gold Glove for his excellence at first base, but the question becomes whether the team will add another left-handed 1B to their 40-man roster or not.
I’d expect him to garner some trade interest given the high contact rates and playable power, but he projects as more of a backup 1B than a full-time starter at the moment.
The final player who I’d view as a strong case for the 40-man roster would be Brendan Beck, who profiles as a finnesse pitcher that slots into the fifth spot of a rotation.
Beck’s four-seamer sits between 91-92 MPH with good vertical movement, and his slider is the best swing-and-miss pitch in his repertoire.
There’s a limited ceiling here due to the lack of velocity and overpowering stuff, but he can make spot starts and could also have trade value on the market.
Darkhorse Options To Get Added to the 40-Man Roster
At one point Eric Reyzelman was the clearcut best reliever on the roster, and his stuff was overpowering enough to think he could make the team’s bullpen by the end of June.
Injuries ate at his season, not having any control throughout his season and falling to the wayside in terms of MLB bullpen plans.
Whether the team protects him from the Rule 5 Draft or not seemed like a silly question to pose at Spring Training, but now he could end up being unprotected.
Chase Hampton is another pitcher who has seen their prospect stock crater due to injuries, but since I doubt any team would want to rush him to the big leagues fresh off of TJS without AAA experience, I think he’s left off for now.
Another interesting name is Zach Messinger who has a wicked slider with ton s of lateral movement, having a four-seamer, changeup, and cutter to go with it.
He threw some sinkers with good movement as well, and I think there’s a possibility that he could become a reliever at the Major League level because of how deep the repertoire is.
Since he was left off the 40-man and didn’t get plucked last year on top of him being demoted to Double-A at the end of the year, I think Zach Messinger remains unprotected and undrafted in the R5.