SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YANKEES ANNOUNCE 2025 ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE PARTICIPANTS
The New York Yankees today announced that eight minor league players and one coach will participate in the 2025 Arizona Fall League.
The eight players include RHP Bryce Cunningham, RHP Brady Kirtner, INF/OF Coby Morales, RHP Hueston Morrill, C Manuel Palencia, RHP Cade Smith, RHP Adam Stone and INF Enmanuel Tejeda. Additionally, 2025 FCL Yankees Pitching Coach Alexander Rosario will serve as a Pitching Coach. All nine members of the Yankees organization will join the Mesa Solar Sox.
Of the eight players, three were drafted by the Yankees in the First-Year Player Draft (Cunningham, Morales and Smith) and five were signed as non-drafted free agents (Kirtner, Morrill, Palencia, Stone and Tejeda).
As of September 10, 2025, 13 members of the Yankees’ current 28-man roster and 19 members of the 40-man roster (including players on the 60-day injured list) played in the Arizona Fall League, including three while in the Yankees minor league system: OF Jasson Domínguez (Mesa, 2022), OF Aaron Judge (Scottsdale, 2014) and C Austin Wells (Surprise, 2021).
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Cunningham, 22, made his professional debut this season with High-A Hudson Valley, going 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA (54.1IP, 42H, 20R/17ER, 19BB, 55K, 4HR) in 12 games (11 starts). Over his final 10 appearances (nine starts) from April 19 through the end of the season, went 4-2 with a 2.08 ERA (43.1IP, 30H, 12R/10ER, 18BB, 42K, 3HR). The right-handed pitcher is currently ranked as the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 6 prospect by Baseball America. The Headland, Ala., native was selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University.
Kirtner, 23, made his professional debut this season and combined to go 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA (46.2IP, 32H, 15R/14ER, 21BB, 52K, 2HR) over 35 relief outings with Single-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley. He spent the majority of the season with Single-A Tampa, going 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA (41.2IP, 27H, 13R/12ER, 20BB, 47K, 2HR) in 30 games. The Warner Robins, Ga., native was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on July 19, 2024.
Morales, 23, has combined to hit .242 (101-for-418) with 52R, 20 doubles, 3 triples, 7HR, 48RBI, 43BB and 17SB in 114 games with High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset this season. He spent the majority of the season with High-A Hudson Valley, batting .251 (85-for-338) with 45R, 18 doubles, 3 triples, 7HR, 47RBI, 37BB and 15SB. Over three minor league seasons in the Yankees organization (2023-25), he has batted .249/.344/.348 (208-for-834) with 120R, 38 doubles, 4 triples, 12HR, 113RBI, 109BB and 51SB in 237 games. The Downey, Calif., native was selected by the Yankees in the 18th round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Washington.
Morrill, 25, has combined to go 4-1 with six saves and a 0.76 ERA (47.2IP, 18H, 5R/4ER, 17BB, 42K, 2HR) over 36 relief appearances with High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset this season, with 31 of those outings being scoreless. He is currently tied for fourth among Yankees farmhands in saves. Morrill spent the majority of the season with the Renegades, going 4-1 with a 0.42 ERA (43.1IP, 15H, 3R/2ER, 12BB, 38K, 1HR). Morrill did not allow an earned run over 25 outings with Hudson Valley and Somerset from May 4 through August 13. Over three minor league seasons in the Yankees organization (2023-25), he has gone 10-5 with 12 saves and a 2.53 ERA (114.0IP, 77H, 42R/32ER, 38BB, 110K, 10HR) in 84 relief appearances. The Gainesville, Fla., native was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on July 22, 2022.
Palencia, 23, has combined to hit .272 (64-for-235) with 33R, 13 doubles, 1 triple, 1HR, 28RBI, 16BB and 2SB in 64 games with the FCL Yankees, High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. Over five minor league seasons in the Yankees organization, has batted .290 (198-for-682) with 99R, 37 doubles, 2 triples, 1HR, 93RBI, 61BB and 12SB in 197 games. The Valencia, Venezuela, native was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on August 31, 2019.
Smith, 23, combined to go 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA (39.2IP, 24H, 11R/ER, 18BB, 42K, 2HR) in 11 starts with the FCL Yankees, Single-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley this season. Over two minor league seasons in the Yankees organization (2024-25), he has gone 8-8 with a 3.31 ERA (133.1IP, 87H, 55R/49ER, 61BB, 160K, 8HR) in 32 games (30 starts). The Germantown, Tenn., native was selected by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of Mississippi State University.
Stone, 24, has not appeared in a minor league game over the last two seasons (2024-25). He made his professional debut in 2023 with Single-A Tampa, going 1-3 with a 7.20 ERA (20.0IP, 24H, 21R/16ER, 20BB, 18K, 2HR) in 20 relief appearances. The Stamford, Conn., native was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on July 22, 2022.
Tejeda, 20, combined to hit .252 (37-for-147) with 28R, 6 doubles, 3HR, 21RBI, 30BB and 14SB in 44 games with the FCL Yankees and Single-A Tampa. Over four minor league seasons in the Yankees organization (2022-25), the infielder has batted .296/.424/.427 (189-for-639) with 128R, 25 doubles, 10 triples, 13HR, 94RBI, 128BB and 75SB in 188 games. The Santo Domingo, D.R., native was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on January 15, 2022.
Rosario, 30, concluded his fifth season in the Yankees organization in a coaching capacity and his second as a Pitching Coach for the FCL Yankees. Among Florida Complex League clubs, FCL Yankees pitchers ranked second in opponents’ BA (.207) and strikeouts (512), fifth in WHIP (1.39) and eighth in ERA (3.95).
—nyy—