New York Yankees Pitching Prospect Worth Keeping Eye on As Potential Impact Call-Up

A New York Yankees pitching prospect could be the missing piece for the staff during the season.

LSU pitcher Eric Reyzelman (22) pitches as the Kentucky Wildcats take on LSU Tigers during the SEC baseball tournament at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala., on Saturday, May 28, 2022. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Yankees have gotten off to a great start in the 2025 MLB regular season despite several obstacles being placed in their way.

The biggest hurdle the team has had to overcome thus far is injuries to key contributors, espcially on the mound, testing their depth right out of the gate.

Not having three of their projected starting pitchers on the Opening Day roster was a tough blow to endure. Ace Gerrit Cole, reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt were all sidelined to begin the campaign.

Since the season started, Marcus Stroman joined the injured list as well. Luckily, Schmidt has made his return, but Cole is sidelined for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery and Gil isn’t returning until the summer after the start of his throwing program was delayed.

Despite some rotation struggles, the Yankees have received excellent contributions from several of their relief pitchers.

Luke Weaver has gotten off to a historic start and Fernando Cruz has taken his game to another level with one of the most dominant pitches in baseball.

Tim Hill has been great and Mark Leiter Jr. has settled in after a shaky start. Their relief staff is getting healthier with Ian Hamilton back in the mix as well.

Alas, New York knows as well as anyone that some changes are going to need to happen with the pitching staff.

Whether it is an injury or a lengthy amount of time without an off day, there are going to be new faces throughout the marathon regular season who are called upon to make an impact.

Who could be one of the pitchers that come out of nowhere to produce for the team?

Keep an eye on Eric Reyzelman, the Yankees No. 22 ranked prospect.

A fifth-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft out of LSU, he is showcasing some excellent talent now that he is healthy and back into a routine after battling injury for the first two years of his professional career.

As shared by Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, Reyzelman had a cyst on his back that required multiple surgeries, preventing him from getting on the field much since he was drafted.

But, now that he is taking the mound regularly, he is showcasing MLB-level talent with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre.

“A 2022 fifth-rounder from Louisiana State, he’s on the verge of claiming a bullpen spot in New York with a fastball that reaches 99 mph with ride and a tight low-80s slider,” they wrote.

Through his first seven appearances and 9.2 innings of work, Reyzelman has a 2.79 ERA with 11 strikeouts and only one home run allowed.

The only concern with his stat line is some shaky control, already issuing six walks, bringing his BB/9 ratio up to 4.8 in the minor leagues.

Outside of that, things look good, especially for a player who threw only 50.1 innings before being promoted to Triple-A this year.