One Yankees Prospect Already Looks Like a Dark Horse to Join Pitching Staff in 2027

The New York Yankees’ farm system has surprisingly played an integral role in the big-league club’s success this season. Manager Aaron Boone has received contributions from prospects like Elmer Rodriguez, Spencer Jones, Yovanny Cruz, and now George Lombard Jr. Lombard made his long-awaited debut earlier this week and has lived up to the hype thus far.

The only other prospect Yankee fans are awaiting to see this year is Carlos Lagrange, who has the stuff to be a starting pitcher or reliever, but New York will likely add him to the bullpen when it's his time to get called up to the show.

Depending on how Lagrange looks when he gets to the majors, there’s no reason to think why he and Rodriguez can’t be in the rotation next season, despite the Yankees already having an abundance of veteran talent at the top. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think that another hurler, Xavier Rivas, could be in the Bronx at some point in 2027.

The 24-year-old Rivas is currently the No. 21 overall ranked prospect in the Yankees’ minor league system, per MLB Pipeline. However, the southpaw is putting on a show at Double-A Somerset this season, creating some buzz among fans on social media.

Xavier Rivas is positioning himself to be an early 2027 Spring Training invitee

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound left-handed pitcher, who was taken in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft, has spent the entire 2026 campaign at Somerset after flying through two levels of pro ball last year (Rookie, Single-A, and High-A), despite missing his final year of college ball at Ole Miss due to Tommy John surgery.

This season with the Patriots, he has a 6-4 record and a 3.65 ERA in 19 appearances (15 starts), which is not bad for it being his second year of pro ball. Rivas has surrendered 51 hits, 41 walks, and 14 home runs, while racking up a ridiculous 114 strikeouts in 81 ⅓ innings of work.

Did we also mention that he’s holding opponents to a .176 batting average? If you’re a Yankees scout or general manager Brian Cashman, this is a good development, as you can never have too much good pitching in your organization.

The lefty has been on a heater over his last 10 starts for the Patriots, including his most recent outing vs. Akron earlier this week. Against the RubberDucks, Rivas went six innings, giving up four hits, three walks, two earned runs, while striking out six.

According to Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media, the 24-year-old hurler is sporting a 1.45 ERA over his last 10 appearances. To Rivas’ credit, he’s also only given up two runs or less over that stretch, per Greg Johnson of The Trentonian.

Yankees' LHP prospect Xavier Rivas in his last 10 appearances (AA, Somerset):

1.45 ERA | 34.9% K% | 23.3% K-BB% | 15.7% SwStr% pic.twitter.com/xmXP25RPwb
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) August 6, 2026

When you look at Rivas’ underlying metrics/stats, it's incredible to see the success he’s having despite possessing a fastball that sits between 90 and 92 mph, along with a changeup and slider that sit in the low 80s.

According to Prospect Savant, Rivas' strikeout rate (34.3%) is ranked in the 90th percentile, his whiff rate (35.7%) is in the 86th percentile, and his swinging strike rate (15/.14%) is at the 82nd percentile. Meanwhile, opponents’ BABIP is .227 this season, which is 10 points lower (.237) than what he did last year in the minors.

Rivas' stuff might not play long-term as a starter in the majors, but could be an intriguing piece for the Yankees to throw into their bullpen in the middle innings.

That said, if Rivas continues on this dominant stretch in Double-A, there’s no reason to think why he can't finish the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and possibly get invited to Spring Training at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.

If that happens, we could be looking at another hurler who could help out the Yankees in 2027 if need be, like Rodriguez and Brendan Beck have done this season.

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