MESA, Ariz. -- Cade Winquest has become part of Yankees history before he has even thrown a Major League pitch.
New York manager Aaron Boone confirmed Tuesday that Winquest, a Rule 5 Draft pick, has made the club’s Opening Day roster. The Yankees selected him from the Cardinals in December, marking the first time the club made a pick in the Rule 5 Draft since taking Brad Meyers in 2011.
Of the previous eight Rule 5 picks in franchise history, only two -- Josh Phelps and Jim Magnuson -- ever made an appearance with the Yankees. Phelps hit .263 with 12 RBIs in 36 games with New York in 2007, and Magnuson pitched 27 1/3 innings for the club in 1973.
Winquest, a 25-year-old right-hander, ranks 17th on MLB Pipeline’s list of Yankees top prospects.
Winquest, who features a mid-90s fastball, a big-breaking curveball that sits in the upper 70s and a low-80s slider as part of his five-pitch arsenal, recorded a 3.99 ERA with 110 strikeouts over 106 innings between High-A and Double-A in 2025. He posted a 7.90 ERA in 10 innings this spring.
“I feel like our pitching group, front office and scouts saw enough to believe that he can continue to improve,” Boone said. “Hopefully he can kind of grow into a role here.”
According to assistant general manager Michael Fishman, the Yankees had Winquest next on their Draft board after selecting Cam Schlittler in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but St. Louis took Winquest three picks before New York’s next selection in the eighth round.
Given another chance to acquire him three years later, the Bronx Bombers didn't let the opportunity pass. Winquest will attempt to carve out a permanent role for himself in New York's bullpen.
“The profile, his stuff, we feel like he has a chance to succeed,” Boone said. “It’s a guy that’s a Double-A starter, and he’s transitioning to the bullpen, and he’s with a new team.”
Because Winquest was taken in the Rule 5 Draft, the Yankees must keep him on their 26-man roster throughout the 2026 season or risk losing him. If they try to remove him from the active roster, he would first have to pass through outright waivers and then be offered back to the Cardinals for $50,000, half the original fee the Yankees paid St. Louis to select him in the Rule 5 Draft. He can be placed on the injured list, but he must spend at least 90 days on the active roster to avoid being subject to the same roster restrictions in 2027.