The Bisons return to Sahlen Field on Tuesday after being on the road for two straight weeks. Buffalo will take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders along with five of the New York Yankees’ Top 30 Prospects.
Although INF George Lombard Jr. is on the 7-Day IL with two sprained fingers on his left hand, he’s still on the RailRiders roster. The Yankees’ number one ranked prospect and MLB’s 20th ranked prospect has a .231 batting average, four home runs, 15 RBI, and .381/.385/.766 in 42 games. Lombard Jr. boasts a 1.000 fielding percentage in his first season with the RailRiders, where he has only played second base.
The Yankees’ 2023 first-rounder faced the Bisons five times this season, batting a .327 average, no homers or RBI and .475/.327/.802. He was also selected for the 2026 All-Star Futures Game, which is next Sunday at 12 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.
Coming in ranked third among the Yankees’ prospects is RHP Elmer Rodríguez. New York’s 2024 fourth-round pick from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico has a 2.93 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 61 strikeouts, 32 walks and a 4-3 record in 61.1 innings pitched. Rodríguez has played for New York this season, recording a 4.76 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 10 strikeouts, 11 walks and a 0-2 record in 17 innings pitched.
He played with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season in just one game back on September 20 against Buffalo. Rodríguez allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out three batters in five innings pitched. He throws a mid-90s sinker, mid-90s four-seamer, low-80s sweeper, high-80s changeup, high-70s curveball and a low-90s cutter.
Just outside of the top five is number sixth ranked OF Spencer Jones. With the RailRiders this year, the Yankees’ 2022 first-rounder has recorded a .269 batting average, 13 home runs, 48 RBI and .378/.571/.949 in 43 games. Jones has played 27 games in center field and has a .960 fielding percentage.
He also played in 30 games with New York this season, posting a .233 batting average, two homers, seven RBI, .317/.370/.687 and a 1.000 fielding percentage. 18 of Jones’s games with the Yankees, he played in center field.
Jones was with the RailRiders last season in 67 games. He batted a .274 average, 19 homers, 48 RBI, .342/.555/.897 and a .997 fielding percentage. Jones played 57 of those games in center field.
Barely outside of the top 10 is the southpaw Kyle Carr, who is ranked 11th out of all Yankees prospects. New York’s 2023 third-round pick played his first game with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre yesterday against the Norfolk Tides. In 5.2 innings pitched, Carr allowed two runs on three hits and walked three batters while striking out seven. He relies on low-90s two and four-seamers, high-70s slider and a mid-80s changeup.
Just outside of the top 20 is 21st ranked RHP Brendan Beck. The Yankees’ 2021 second-rounder has a 3.07 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 91 strikeouts, 28 walks and a 7-2 record in 88 innings pitched. Beck appeared in two games this year with New York, where he posted a 9.45 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, four strikeouts, five walks and an 0-1 record through 6.2 innings pitched. Last year with the RailRiders, Beck recorded a 4.44 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 71 strikeouts, 24 walks and an 8-3 record in 77 innings pitched. He throws a low-90s four-seamer, mid-80s slider, low-80s splitter, mid-70s curveball, low-90s sinker and a low-80s cutter.
Finally, ranked 28th is RHP Eric Reyzelman. The Yankees’ 2022 fifth-round pick currently has a 15.26 ERA, 3.13 WHIP, nine strikeouts, nine walks and a 0-1 record through 7.2 innings pitched with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Reyzelman posted a 4.29 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 45 strikeouts, 42 walks and a 1-2 record in 42 innings with the RailRiders last season. His go-to pitches are a mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider.
Buffalo will begin the series against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch at Sahlen Field. Pregame coverage on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy app, and Bisons.com begins broadcast coverage at 6:15 p.m.