BALTIMORE — One of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects is now one step away from the majors.
The team has promoted Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz to Triple-A. The right-hander, ranked the 99th-best prospect in the game by Baseball America, will join the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Saturday for a game against the Buffalo Bisons.
Rodriguez-Cruz, Baseball America’s top Yankees’ pitching prospect alongside Carlos Lagrange, leads all minor league arms with 173 strikeouts this season. Rodriguez-Cruz also owns a 2.42 ERA, has allowed just three home runs and has a 54.8 groundball rate over 26 games (25 starts) and a career-high 145 innings between High-A and Double-A.
Drafted out of Puerto Rico in the fourth round by the Red Sox in 2021, the 22-year-old Rodriguez-Cruz joined the Yankees in a rare rivalry trade that sent Carlos Narváez to Boston this past December.
“Elmer is having an incredible season and has truly put himself on the map as one of the top pitching prospects in the game,” Kevin Reese, the Yankees’ vice president of player development, told the Daily News. “Will he pitch in the big leagues next season? I think it’s fair to say he will be amongst those competing with a realistic shot.”
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz has been one of the BEST pitchers at the MiLB level this year.
He can touch 99 MPH with his fastball, throws six pitches, and has only allowed two home runs in 96.2 IP.
2.42 ERA | 27.5% K% | 51.6% GB% | .185 AVG pic.twitter.com/RYnriur2J0
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) July 23, 2025
Reese’s prediction comes with the Yankees already in position to boast a young rotation in 2026, though one never knows what roster shuffles the offseason will bring. Rodriguez-Cruz can always be dealt — SNY’s Andy Martino recently reported that the Yankees refused to trade him in talks for Baltimore’s Charlie Morton — as could some of the team’s greener starters.
While veterans Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are set to lead the group next year, Will Warren, 26, and Cam Schlittler, 24, will be coming off their rookie seasons. Then there’s Luis Gil, who is 27.
Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt are also expected to join the rotation midseason after each underwent Tommy John procedures this year.
With little time left to pitch at Triple-A this season, Rodriguez-Cruz could follow a similar path as Schlittler, who shined in big league camp before earning multiple promotions and making his big league debut on July 9. His rise was accompanied by an uptick in velocity, which Schlittler attributed to putting on weight and taking better care of his body this past offseason.
Double-A pitching coach Peter Larson mentioned Schlittler’s bulk-up when asked what Rodriguez-Cruz needs to work on now that he’s a level closer to the big leagues.
“Continue to fine-tune the sweeper and cutter,” Larson said. “Similar to Cam, keep working hard in the weight room for additional strength.”
However, Larson specified that fastball velocity is “not an issue” for the 6-3, 160-pound Rodriguez-Cruz — who can hit 99 mph — and that he has thrown harder as the season has progressed despite an unprecedented workload. Larson added that Rodriguez-Cruz’s average velocity was actually better at Double-A than it was at High-A.
