Yankees Prospect Stock Report for July: Dax Kilby Is Picking Up Steam at Single-A

Dax Kilby might be one of the better first-round picks the New York Yankees have made in recent years.

New York Yankees infield prospect Dax Kilby is slowly starting to put it together at Single-A after returning from the IL. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It feels like every time you look up on social media, there's a video from Single-A where Dax Kilby is stinging a ball. Those 100+ mph liners are either flying over an outfielder's head or being ripped through the infield.

At Single-A Tampa this year, Kilby is hitting .313/.389/.625 with a homer and seven RBIs. He also has five hits and two doubles. This production comes with just four games with the Tampa Tarpons thus far.

This month also marked the first home run of Kilby's career as a professional ball player. That came on July 25th. Kilby almost hit another one a few days later.

🚨Dax Kilby hits a 2-Run Shot! First HR of the season!#RepBx #Yankees pic.twitter.com/jIMB1JkEIA

— YankeesFarm (@YankeesFarm) July 25, 2026

The 102.6 MPH liner went right over the center fielder's head and bounced off the wall. It was only a few feet short of clearing the fence.

Kilby is putting together an impressive tape

Last year's first-round pick for the New York Yankees has a real shot of soaring through the system at the same rate he hits baseballs. The only reason he didn't this year was because of an injury.

Teams will be asking for George Lombard Jr. in trades at the deadline, and the next most coveted player is likely to be Kilby. It makes sense, as all he's done since being drafted is hit.

Between Single-A and the Florida Complex League, Kilby is hitting .333/.442/.460 in 114 plate appearances. He has a homer, four doubles, and a triple, with just 21 strikeouts and 18 walks. It's 40 total bases in just 28 games at the pro level.

Dax Kilby's stats under the hood

The underlying metrics have matched what Kilby does on the field. Last year at Single-A, he had an average exit velocity of 91.9 MPH and a hard-hit rate of 49.1%. That came with a solid eye, sporting a 15.8% walk rate, which was higher than his 13.4% strikeout rate.

Kilby isn't hitting the ball as hard this year, but it's still only a tiny sample size. In the four games he has played in at Single-A, Kilby has an 88.3 MPH average exit velocity and a 33.3% hard-hit rate. But he has hit balls as hard as 102.6 MPH and 104.7. In these few games, he also has an 11.1% walk rate and 22.2% strikeout rate.

It's still too early to draw too many conclusions, but one thing of note is that he has started to pull balls in the air more. Kilby has a 25% pull-air rate. While that number could go down the more games he gets into, Kilby only pulled 8.8% of his fly balls last season.

The incoming trade deadline

Right now, the Yankees have not indicated that Kilby is off-limits, as they have with Lombard, who seems to be the jewel of the minor league system at the moment. If the team is going to land a big fish at the trade deadline, it could be with a deal centered around Kilby.

New York Yankees minor-league shortstop George Lombard Jr. could still be with the organization past the deadline. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

You can see why other teams would be intrigued by the 19-year-old, too. Kilby's tools are intriguing, and he has shown a lot since being drafted. He has a few jitters for a player just getting his feet wet at the pro level.