Angels Sign Former Yankees Outfield Prospect

New York Yankees right fielder Elijah Dunham (92) prepares to take batting practice before the start of a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on Feb. 26, 2023. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

By 2023, Elijah Dunham was the New York Yankees' No. 17 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. That ranked him ahead of future major leaguers Matt Sauer and Jhony Brito, among others.

The big leagues never came calling, however — at least not yet. After being released by the Yankees, missing all of the 2025 regular season with an Achilles injury, and signing pro contracts in the independent American Association and Puerto Rico, Dunham is back in affiliated baseball with the Angels.

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The Angels officially signed the 27-year-old outfielder to a minor league contract in October, according to the American Association, but he did not announce it on his Instagram account until Saturday.

December 15 Transaction: @CRRBaseball OF Elijah Dunham (signed October 14) signed with the Los Angeles Angels. pic.twitter.com/Mjor8vsphj

— American Association (@AA_Baseball) December 16, 2025

How much of Dunham's prospect potential can be realized at the big league level remains to be seen after a couple down seasons.

Dunham saw action in 10 spring training games with the Yankees in 2024, going 2 for 11 with a double, three walks, and four strikeouts. He split that season between Double-A and Triple-A for the second consecutive year.

In four Triple-A games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Dunham went 1 for 10 with a pair of walks. It was an underwhelming follow-up to Dunahm's 2023 season, in which he slashed .216/.330/.340 in 69 games for the Yankees' top farm team.

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The Achilles injury he suffered in spring training of 2025 proved devastating. Not only did Dunham miss the entire regular season, but he was slow to get going at the plate in Puerto Rico. Through his first 21 winter league games with Caguas and San Juan, Dunham is hitting .167 (10 for 60) with two home runs, 15 walks, and 21 strikeouts.

Still, the Angels saw enough from Dunham to take a flier on his potential for a bounce-back season in 2026.

As a prospect, MLB Pipeline praised Dunham's power, throwing arm, and fielding ability as his best tools (all 50 grades, or roughly major league average). Its scouting report praised Dunham's aggressive base-stealing despite "fringy" speed.

"Dunham doesn't have a true standout tool but can do a little bit of everything offensively," MLB Pipeline wrote. "He makes hard contact with his compact left-handed stroke, has the bat speed and strength to generate 20-homer power and owns the discipline to take walks if pitchers try to work around him."

Now Dunham will have a chance to show the Angels that his Achilles injury is behind him and that the tools that led the Yankees to sign him out of Indiana University in 2019 are not.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.