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3 Current Yankees Who Could Be Most Impacted by the MLB Draft

By Devon Platana Sports Illustrated

The Yankees are about to enter the mid-season break as the annual All-Star festivities arrive next week. Although it will be fun to watch Cam Schlittler and Cody Bellinger represent the Bronx Bombers in Philadelphia on Wednesday, another important event is right around the corner: the 2026 MLB Draft.

The two-day event will also take place in the City of Brotherly Love, beginning on Saturday afternoon. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will have plenty of opportunities to restock his team's cupboards before even more prospects transition to the professional level. Top prospects like George Lombard Jr., Carlos Lagrange, and Dax Kilby won't stay in the minors forever, highlighting the need for fresh blood.

Of course, new faces arriving in New York could spell bad news for certain veterans on the roster. Some Yankees aren't pulling their weight, leaving their future around the Bronx up in the air. As such, this trio is the most likely to be impacted by one of Cashman & Co.'s draft decisions this weekend.

Austin Wells, C

Austin Wells's bat has been one of the Yankees' worst-if not at the very bottom of the list-since Opening Day, and it isn't even an argument. The 26-year-old catcher is slashing a putrid .151/.246/.242 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in 63 games (186 at-bats), all while posting a career-worst minus-0.3 WAR. His .203 expected batting average and .279 expected weighted on-base average, per Baseball Savant, are also personal-worst efforts.

Wells won't be a free agent until 2030, and he's still an excellent pitch-framer; however, those aspects don't matter much if his bat remains dead weight. It's starting to look like his 21-HR, 71-RBI performance last season was a fluke, and no one would blame the Yankees for exploring their draft options-especially since they'll hold the No. 35 selection.

Austin Wells's weaknesses outweigh his strengths, casting uncertainty over his outlook with the Yankees. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Austin Wells's weaknesses outweigh his strengths, casting uncertainty over his outlook with the Yankees. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tennessee commit Will Brick and Georgia's Daniel Jackson are two of the potential catcher prospects the Yankees could target on Day 1. Future Ole Miss Rebel Cole Prosek can play third base in addition to catcher, potentially positioning him to be a future Yankee, too. Given Wells's remaining team control, New York could also kick drafting a catcher to a later round, assuming they believe in a turnaround (they shouldn't).

Anthony Volpe, SS

Much like Wells, Anthony Volpe's bat isn't living up to expectations. After a solid mid-June performance, the 25-year-old shortstop has crashed back to earth, batting an abysmal .143 with a .382 OPS in 12 games (35 ABs) since June 24. He only has five hits, one double and three walks during that stretch, striking out 10 times with only six total bases.

Volpe's hold on the starting SS job is also slipping now that José Caballero is heating up again. The stats aren't mind-blowing, but Caballero is slugging .522 with a .261 batting average, two HRs, six RBIs and a pair of stolen bases in his first seven games to begin July, which includes four starts at shortstop. Volpe has made as many starts this month; however, he's only slugging .214 with three hits in five games, which, by the way, the Yankees are 0-5 in.

It's clear that Volpe needs a fresh start, whether that comes via trade before August or this winter. As such, the Yankees could look to the draft for intriguing interior infield prospects. Yes, Lombard, Kilby and Core Jackson could still be long-term answers, but fans shouldn't complain if Cashman lands prospects like Mississippi State commit Rocco Maniscalco, Texas A&M commit Trey Ebel or North Carolina's Jake Schaffner this weekend.

There's no such thing as a surefire prospect, regardless of how much potential they ooze. That's why the Yankees must do right by the future of their SS position by eyeing potential Volpe replacements in Philadelphia.

Ryan McMahon, 3B

Ryan McMahon has been playing well since returning from a throat and ear infection, batting .286 with a .875 OPS, two walks and a pair of RBIs across his first five July appearances (14 ABs). That's a solid sample size, sure, but Yankees fans know all too well that McMahon has gone on heaters earlier this season only to follow them up with ice-cold streaks.

Trading for McMahon last season hasn't yielded the expected results, as the Yankees' situation at third base remains a concern. The former MLB All-Star will be a free agent at the end of the 2027 campaign, and it's hard to imagine New York bringing him back (or even keeping him until then) if he hopes to keep earning anything close to his $16 million annual salary. If New York isn't sold and doesn't want to make a trade-deadline splash, the draft will have solutions.

As mentioned before, Prosek is a prospect who can play at the hot corner as well as behind home plate, potentially helping the Yankees kill two birds with one stone. Virginia commit Bo Lowrance has the type of power that managers love to see out of a 3B, while Roman Martin might be seen as being closer to MLB-ready after batting .333 with a .995 OPS in his first season at UCLA.

If the Yankees draft one of those names, it'll likely be the start of the end for McMahon's time in New York. He's giving the club a few reasons to believe that he can stick around for the long run, firmly kicking the door open to start a replacement plan before his decline furthers.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as 3 Current Yankees Who Could Be Most Impacted by the MLB Draft.

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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM.

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