Yankees' Prospect Deserves a Triple-A Promotion After Peter Strzelecki's Release

Between the majors and every minor-league level, it's understandable if Yankees fans have forgotten about a good chunk of players stewing in the system. One of the organization's forgotten names this season has been veteran right-hander Peter Strzelecki, who signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees in May after playing parts of three seasons with the Brewers, Diamondbacks and Guardians.

Strzelecki didn't get a chance to pitch any games with the Yankees in June, and now that possibility can be scratched off for the rest of the season. On Friday, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that the Queens native "is now a free agent" after opting out of his contract with the Bronx Bombers.

Peter Strzelecki has opted out of his Yankees deal and is now a free agent
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 19, 2026

Strzelecki clearly wasn't happy about his long-shot odds to join the Yankees, and, truthfully, they shouldn't lose any sleep after his release. The 31-year-old righty gave the big club every reason to leave him in the minors, as he tallied a pitiful 7.71 ERA after allowing four earned runs and a homer in 4 2/3 innings over six relief appearances with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

With Strzelecki gone, the RailRiders seemingly have an open spot in their bullpen, opening the door for one Yankees prospect to continue ascending the pipeline.

Ben Grable could be a Triple-A promotion candidate as Peter Strzelecki opts out

An 11th-round pick in last year's MLB Draft, Ben Grable is one prospect who's exceeding expectations this season. The former USC Trojan started the campaign with High-A Hudson Valley, striking out 17 batters with a 1.17 ERA across 7 2/3 innings before he was quickly promoted to Double-A Somerset at the end of April.

At first, Grable took some time to adjust to the next minor-league level. He surrendered six earned runs on as many hits while issuing two walks over 7 1/3 innings in his first seven Double-A appearances, leaving some fans to wonder if his promotion came too soon. Fortunately, it didn't take the 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty long to settle in after that.

As of Friday afternoon, Grable has allowed only one earned run on three hits in his last 9 2/3 innings (eight games)—including five consecutive scoreless appearances. He's also amassed a whopping 15 strikeouts during that stretch, which translates to an average of just under 14 Ks per nine innings. And that's without mentioning how he notched three saves and a win.

Ben Grable tallies 2⃣ strikeouts in a perfect ninth inning to send us to the tenth inning! pic.twitter.com/sJZaF6e2o9
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 18, 2026

Is it sustainable at higher levels? Probably not, but it shows just how dominant Grable's arm has looked. He has one of the best fastballs in the entire Yankees organization, and it would be interesting to see what it could do in Triple-A, potentially fueling hopes that he can one day enter the MLB mix. If he can keep building on that by adding more lethal pitches to his arsenal, opposing batters could be in trouble.

New York's bullpen has been a well-documented issue throughout the 2026 season. Grable still has a lot to prove before Yankees manager Aaron Boone seriously gives him call-up consideration, but a strong finish to the campaign—especially if he's added to the RailRiders—could put the 24-year-old flame-thrower in the mix to challenge for a big-league bullpen role in the spring.

As the saying goes; when one door closes, another opens. Strzelecki slammed one shut when he opted out of his Yankees contract, leaving time to tell if Grable has what it takes to break on through to the other side.

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