Yankees Pitching Prospect to Miss 2026 Season Following Elbow Surgery

The New York Yankees have a deep farm system, at least in terms of pitching, with 10 of the team's top-15 prospects being pitchers. But one of those young arms is now reportedly set to miss the entire 2026 season.

Brock Selvidge, the Yankees' No. 15 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, will be sidelined this year after recently undergoing internal brace surgery on his pitching elbow, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. The 23-year-old lefty was reportedly hitting 97 mph this spring, but he'll now look to turn his attention toward recovering in hopes of making a return next season.

Selvidge was New York's third-round draft pick in 2021. His standout season so far in the minors came in 2023, when he posted a 3.45 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 24 games across two levels. Last year, the southpaw had a 2-7 record and a 4.68 ERA with only 68 strikeouts in 19 games, 16 of which were at Double-A Somerset.

While Selvidge likely wasn't expected to play a role for the big league club this year before his injury, other pitching prospects could be on track to help the Yankees in 2026.

Yankees' farm system is loaded with pitching talent

Feb 26, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (76) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

A lot of Yankees prospects have made some noise this spring, especially a few of the club's up-and-coming arms. Right-handed pitchers Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez, New York's No. 2 and No. 3 prospects for 2026, have been the talk of the town early this year. Lagrange has impressed with his 102 mph fastball and even got rave reviews from Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, while Rodriguez turned in scoreless outings in spring training and in the 2026 World Baseball Classic with Team Puerto Rico.

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, though, and Lagrange might not be far behind him. But both pitchers are only 22 years old and just made their Double-A debuts last year. Still, expectations are high for these two young arms, who both appear to be candidates to get called up to the bigs at some point in the near future.

Ben Hess is another Yankees pitching prospect to keep an eye on this year. The 23-year-old righty is the team's No. 5 prospect for 2026 and has also stood out this spring. But similar to Lagrange and Rodriguez, Hess made his Double-A debut last year and only appeared in seven games at that level.

New York has four other arms ranked in its top-10 prospects, including Bryce Cunningham, Chase Hampton, Thatcher Hurd, and Pico Kohn, who's notably the only lefty among this group. Pitching depth is always important, especially due to the frequency of arm injuries in today's game, as made apparent by Selvidge. And the Yankees seemingly have a plethora of young pitchers they'll look to develop in 2026 and beyond.