Yankees Make Flurry of Minor League Call-ups

After the Yankees called up #12 prospect Ben Rice to the Majors on Tuesday, they made a flurry of minor league promotions this morning that were well deserved, and we’ll break them down here.

Agustin Ramirez Promoted to Triple-A

The first callup, the one most people expected with Rice going to the big club, is Agustin Ramirez being promoted to Triple-A. Ramirez has had a huge season in Double-A for Somerset, slashing .289/.372/.570 for a .942 OPS, he also has an Eastern League leading 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. Ramirez also put up a 159 wRC+ with the Patriots. Ramirez is a big time power hitter from the catcher position who has shades of Gary Sanchez when he was a prospect. Ramirez was protected from the Rule-5 Draft and is on the 40-Man roster. Ramirez could be a part of a future backstop duo with Austin Wells if all goes right, he is poised to become a Top 100 prospect by end of season, many would say he already is.

Jack Neely Promoted to Triple-A

The second promotion is promoting reliever Jack Neely to Triple-A. Neely is a sidewinding reliever who stands at a massive 6’8. This frame alone has people comparing him to former Yankees reliever Dellin Betances. Neely has a fastball/slider combo which has been really effective for him so far in his career. His high 90s fastball and the mid 80s slider gives him the ability to generate a lot of swing and miss, and some believe (myself included), that Neely could be a factor for the Yankees bullpen down the stretch. As they need more guys who have swing and miss stuff in the bullpen.

Jesus Rodriguez Promoted to Double-A

The final promotion is Jesus Rodriguez being promoted to Double-A. Rodriguez has hit at absolutely every level of affiliated baseball, and not only is he a very good hitter, with a slash of .332/.412/.507 and a 155 wRC+, he is also a defensively versatile player. He’s primarily a catcher, but has also played 3rd base, first base, and the corner outfield spots. This defensive versatility mixed with his offensive output could help him skyrocket up the Yankees prospect rankings. Rodriguez is a very intriguing prospect, he isn’t ranked in the Yankees top 30 by MLB Pipeline, but I am very excited to see how he does in Somerset.