3 Winners and 3 Losers From Yankees' Minor League Teams in August

As baseball fans, the major leagues are always the focus (as there should be), but you can never forget about an organization's teams and players down in the minor leagues.

These are the players of the teams' future and the prospects that every team works so tirelessly to develop into major league talent.

For the New York Yankees, I wanted to dive into the last month for some of these young budding stars and even a few familiar faces who have returned to the minors for tune-ups, and discuss whether their stock is looking up or down coming out of August.

I'll be looking at three winners and three losers from the past month of play throughout the entire organization and giving a quick breakdown of how things have been going for them.

Winners

Anthony Volpe, Triple-A Scranton (INF)

While Volpe may not be a winner in the sense that he is not still with the major League team, he certainly showed that he can still be an option down the road for a couple of reasons.

Volpe was demoted back to Triple-A earlier in August, but he showed some pop at the plate in his return to the minors, cracking seven home runs and posting a .936 OPS over a 20-game span.

The biggest August development for Volpe was his positional switch/added versatility. The 25-year-old has manned his usual shortstop spot just four times in 20 games since his return, getting reps at second base and now even third base in the last couple of games.

This development is crucial for his future in the Yankees organization, as George Lombard Jr. will presumably be the shortstop of the future, and it's honestly off to a solid start for the former first-round pick.

This offseason will likely provide more clarity on what Volpe's future with the team will look like. But for now, he is raising a lot more questions among the media and fans than he was just a couple of months ago.

Yostin Pena, Single-A Tampa (OF)

Yostin Pena is one prospect who has created probably the most buzz among the fanbase since his stateside debut in August. The18-year-old prospect impressed during his time in the Dominican Summer League this season, but his name has taken off since his debut with Single-A Tampa.

The teenager posted a .371 average (23-for-62) and an OPS of 1.089 with five home runs in his first month since the switch to the United States.

Yostin Pena went 4-for-6 with a homer and five RBI at Low-A tonight 🔥

The Yankees’ No. 10 prospect is a DSL hitter to know for dynasty leagues 👀

See here: https://t.co/LEpIX0w0fR

(🎥@TampaTarpons) pic.twitter.com/41UktwpcEW
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 20, 2026

For Pena, the exit velocities have been one of the most impressive things to see so far, with already logging 17 batted balls over 100 mph, including three over 110 mph.

Pena has also demonstrated some solid traits in the outfield while he mans mostly center field, showing off his speed to make some sweet grabs.

You can probably start to understand why so many people have started hearing his name more and why many are now excited to watch him rise through the minor league ranks.

Luis Durango, Double-A Somerset (OF)

It would be pretty hard not to call Luis Durango a winner from August after he went viral on social media for his unique slap-hitting style and almost Chandler Simpson-esque speed/contact skills.

"He's playing 1890s Baltimore Chop baseball!" 🤣

MLB Now talks about Yankees' minor leaguer Luis Durango Jr.'s unique hitting profile. pic.twitter.com/YlEXMvjY4m
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) August 21, 2026

For Durango, August was just his fourth consecutive month where he posted a batting average above .300, logging a .342 average (13-for-38) in his first full month in Double-A.

The 23-year-old failed to collect a single extra-base hit during the month, but he struck out just twice while working four walks and swiping five bags in the stretch, demonstrating some of that unique skill set previously mentioned.

While Durango will certainly not be the flashiest player in the modern game to some, his style can make a major-league impact if used properly, similar to Simpson, who also doesn't produce much power but gets on base and uses his speed to work around the diamond.

Durango has now reached his highest minor-league level (Double-A) and could certainly find himself in the majors in 2027 if things continue because of his unique skill set.

Losers

Jasson Domínguez, Triple-A Scranton (OF)

Like Volpe, Jasson Dominguez was the other big name demoted back to Triple-A, but unlike Volpe, the former top prospect has really struggled in his minor league return.

The same uncertainty about what Volpe's future with the organization will be can be said about Dominguez, except that his second-to-last month this season to prove something has gotten off to a rough start.

In 20 Triple-A games across August, the outfielder posted a .205 average (17-for-83) and a .588 OPS with 24 strikeouts and just five XBHs.

Nathan Hickey (a first baseman) just struck out Jasson Domínguez. pic.twitter.com/SWpP3hJO2k
— Hunter Noll (@Hunter_Noll) August 29, 2026

While, of course, it's not the end-all-be-all for Dominguez and his time in the Yankees organization, it's not a great start to the crucial next few months heading into the offseason.

Hopefully, the former top international prospect can have a hot September to offset the rough start, as he will want to end the 2026 campaign on a good note.

Chase Hampton, Double-A Somerset (RHP)

Hampton is a name many Yankee fans might have heard over the last couple of years, as he has been floating around the org's top 30 for some time. Hampton missed most of 2024 and all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

2026 is his first year back on the bump, and it was always going to be a long climb to get back to his full self, so Hampton is a "loser" this month, as it was another month where it felt like a step back in his process.

Hampton made two starts at the beginning of August, in which he gave up five-plus runs and couldn't get past the third inning, while striking out a combined two batters, leading to him being placed on the temporarily inactive list.

In one of the starts, Hampton allowed eight earned runs and was removed from the game before recording the third out of the first inning. His month's numbers ended with opponents hitting at a .378 clip, as he carried an ERA of 16.43 and a WHIP of 2.22.

August was simply a down month for his development, stock, and overall climb toward being his full self on the mound, leading me to place him among the losers of the month.

Hampton was also moved down to 23rd in the organization's top 30 after being as high as fourth in 2024 and ninth last season, not that it means very much, but certainly something to note.

Ben Hess, Double-A Somerset (RHP)

Hess entered the season as a top-10 prospect in the Yankees organization after impressing in his first pro season in 2025, but the right-hander has taken a step back in 2026, and August was a tough month for a couple of reasons.

Not only did Hess make just two starts in which he allowed eight earned runs (10 total runs) in just 11 innings pitched to the tune of a 6.55 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP, but he was also placed on the 60-day IL, thus likely ending his 2026 season.

Coming into the season, many people predicted that Hess would impress again and rise quickly through the minor league levels, but injuries and lack of consistency have clearly derailed him.

Hess missed a month from April to May due to an injury, and that's what started the derailment, with him having to work back to full status for months and probably never truly getting to100%.

Hess is placed amongst the "losers" of the month category because of the rough outings, but mostly because the injury he suffered during the month is ending his 2026 season, the final blow to an all-around, presumably frustrating season for the former first-round selection.

Hess easily has the talent and ability to return to form next season, but first he needs a clean bill of health to shake some of the "bad" from his sophomore season.

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