5 Yankees’ second half call-ups who can serve as trade additions of their own

The Yankees had an eventful but limited trade deadline. Most notably, they acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. But beyond that, the Yankees acquired Mark Leiter Jr and Enyel De Los Santos, two relievers who are having a rough season. With the trade deadline now in the books, the Yankees seemingly passed up several opportunities to strengthen their many weaknesses.

For over a month, the Yankees had a miserable time grinding production out of their offense. While they did a good job shoring up their batting order with Chisholm, it might not be enough. And on the pitching front, the Yankees did very little. The two relievers they acquired, while talented, haven’t achieved ideal results this season. The bullpen is still a wide-open chasm that has very few, if any, reliable options. Meanwhile, the starting rotation has underwent an obscene number of meltdowns.

With only one year of Juan Soto that the Yankees spent so much to get, losing is not an option. This year, it looks like Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman took the cheap road, but they’ll look like magicians if these five studs in the making can save the Yankees’ season.

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5. OF Jasson Dominguez

Jasson Dominguez, aka the Martian, has been lauded for his plate discipline and five-tool repertoire. Currently the No. 25 prospect on the MLB’s top-100 Prospects list and the top prospect in the Yankees’ farm system, the Martian was brought up last year to much fanfare and was quick to make Yankees’ fans everywhere very happy.

He kicked off his career by smashing an opposite field home run on the first pitch he saw in the majors, depositing it into the Crawford Boxes. The best thing about it was it came against Astros’ ace Justin Verlander. Unfortunately, Dominguez’s first season was cut short by an elbow injury that required Tommy John. He finished the 2023 MLB season going 8/31 with four HR. That year through all levels of baseball, he stole 41 bases in 49 attempts.

This season, after coming back, he tore up the minors before suffering an oblique injury. Again, he is making his way back. He began another rehab assignment and has gone 3/14 with a stolen base from July 26th to July 31st.

The switch-hitting Dominguez could light a fire under the Yankees’ offense, but Brian Cashman has other ideas.

If Cashman changes his mind, Dominguez could take over for Alex Verdugo in the outfield. Verdugo is currently hitting .239 with 10 HR through 402 ABs this season. However, he has gone 10-25 in his last six games indicating he might be breaking out.

4. RHP Chase Hampton

Chase Hampton is currently the No. 80 prospect in MLB and is number three prospect in the Yankees’ farm system. He has missed most of the year with an elbow strain and shoulder discomfort. In 5 rehab starts,

Hampton gave up five earned runs over 13 IP, never going more than 3.2 innings in a single start. While the 3.46 ERA isn’t that flashy, his opponent average of .163 is something to behold. But this was only rehab and he spent it in ROK and Low-A ball.

Last year, Hampton pitched to a 3.63 ERA over 106.2 innings collecting 145 Ks across High-A and Double-A. Scouts rate his fastball and slider as 60/80 while his curveball and cutter are rated as 55/80. His only pitch that earns him an average mark is his changeup rated at 40/80. With a wide repertoire and four plus pitches, he could easily make a difference for the Yankees very soon. His ETA is slated for this year, but he is yet to pitch in Triple-A.

With Cody Poteet and Clarke Schmidt returning soon, there might not be a spot in the rotation for him. But he could still give the ailing Yankee bullpen a much-needed boost.

3. RHP Will Warren

Yankees No. 7 prospect, Will Warren, recently made his MLB debut in place of a fatigued Gerrit Cole. Warren went 5.1 innings giving up 4 earned runs and collecting 6 strikeouts. After the game, he was sent back down. It didn’t seem he was ready to take on the role of major league starter, but he could be a valuable asset in the bullpen for now.

Warren is known for his exceptional slider which scouts rank as a 65/80. As for the results, Warren’s 6.11 ERA through 95.2 innings in Triple-A this year is nothing to write home about, but the Yankees put enough trust in him to start an MLB game. His recent starts in Triple-A have also been better. The 115 Ks he’s collected have been encouraging as well. Still, last year’s results were much better.

2. RHP Danny Watson

Righty reliever Danny Watson is the No. 28 prospect in the Yankees’ farm system. Like Hampton, he is yet to pitch in Triple-A, but could still make the jump later this year. Watson wowed fans with a 1.58 ERA through 62.2 innings last season when he collected 82 strikeouts and held opponents to a .138 average. But this year hasn’t been so good for Watson who has given up 14 ER through 20 IP this season. The nine walks he has issued have been an Achilles’ heel for him.

In all fairness to Watson, he did miss the entire month of May with an injury and his terrible ERA this year stems from a few bad outings.

As for his stuff, he doesn’t have anything that is overpowering, but he does boast a potent sweeper that he mixes between his fastball and cutter. His arm slot and delivery help him to confuse hitters. If he can give a showing like he did last year, he could be a valuable arm in the Yankees’ bullpen later this year.

1. RHP Alex Mauricio

Continuing with the bullpen, the Yankees have an excellent option waiting in Triple-A. Right-handed relief pitcher Alex Mauricio has excelled posting a 1.13 ERA in 32 innings. This is currently the lowest ERA on the RailRiders.

Mauricio’s excellent ERA figure comes with 37 strikeouts and an opponent average of .179. Strangely, it also comes with 17 BBs indicating Mauricio needs to work on his command. What’s even better is that he can be used as a long reliever. On two occasions, he pitched for three innings.

If he can keep his walk rate down, he could be a powerful weapon out of the bullpen.