Yankees set minor league rosters

It’s hard to believe, but the minor league season begins on Thursday. The Yankees have a whopping eight affiliates, but only four play before the draft. With that in mind, it’s worth checking in on the rosters for the teams preparing to play. Of course, these are subject to change, but they should give us a good idea of who’s playing where.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRides (Triple-A)

Manager: Bobby Mitchell

Catchers: Kyle Higashioka, Erik Kratz

Infielders: Jonathan Diaz, Mike Ford, Jace Peterson, Gleyber Torres

Outfielders: Mark Payton, Shane Robinson, Junior Soto

Pitchers: Chance Adams, Luis Cessa, Cale Coshow, Raynel Espinal, J.P. Feyereisen, Giovanny Gallegos, Domingo German, Anyelo Gomez, Nick Green, Brady Lail, Yoiber Marquina, Oliver Perez

At the beginning of spring training, one would have expected the RailRiders to field the most interesting team in the system. The Yankees have a ton of top prospects so close to the show. The Triple-A squad figured to be among the most entertaining in baseball. Then injuries struck, and the top names left are Torres and Adams. That’s not a bad thing, though, and more firepower could be on the way with the return of Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar. The latter figures to be sent down when the big league club gets an extra outfielder.

Trenton Thunder (Double-A)

Manager: Jay Bell

Catchers: Chace Numata, Jorge Saez

Infielders: Mandy Alvarez, Abital Avelino, Bruce Caldwell, Vincent Conde, Billy Fleming, Chris Gittens, Gosuke Katoh, Russell Wilson

Outfielders: Trey Amburgey, Rashad Crawford, Jhalan Jackson, Ben Ruta

Pitchers: Domingo Acevedo, Will Carter, Jordan Foley, Caleb Frare, Joe Harvey, Jose Mesa Jr., Kaleb Ort, Jean Ramirez, James Reeves, Andrew Schwaab, Justus Sheffield, Erik Swanson, Stephen Tarpley, Dillon Tate

The story of the Double-A Thunder revolves around pitching. Many of the team’s top arms will pitch for Trenton. That includes Sheffield, Tate, and Acevedo. The team also has some interesting position players, namely Amburgey and Avelino. Those two had strong cameos in spring training. Plus, there’s a certain Seahawks quarterback who could always play at the keystone...

Tampa Tarpons (High-A)

Manager: Pat Osborn

Catchers: Donny Sands

Infielders: Angel Aguilar, Daniel Barrios, Kyle Holder, Tim Lynch, Hoy Jun Park

Outfielders: Alexander Palma, Terrance Robertson

Pitchers: Albert Abreu, Matt Frawley, Hobie Harris, Chaz Hebert, Brian Keller, Michael King, Trevor Lane, Jonathan Loaisiga, Christian Morris, David Palladino, Josh Roeder, Adonis Rosa, David Sosebee

High-A Tampa hasn’t finalized their roster yet, seeing as they only have two outfielders listed. That open spot figures to belong to Estevan Florial, one of the team’s top prospects. There’s a lot of young talent on this squad, including the flame-throwing Abreu and intriguing Loaisiga. Plus, Holder has torn the cover off the ball for almost a year now. Tampa will be pretty fun to follow this season.

Charleston RiverDogs (Low-A)

Manager: Julio Mosquera

Catchers: Jason Lopez, Eduardo Navas

Infielders: Dalton Blaser, Oswaldo Cabrera, Wilkerman Garcia, Chris Hess, David Metzgar

Outfielders: Frederick Cuevas, Leonardo Molina, Steven Sensley, Dom Thompson-Williams

Pitchers: Braden Bristo, Luis Cedeno, Dalton Lehnen, Chad Martin, Nick Nelson, Glenn Otto, Daniel Ramos, Alex Robinett, JP Sears, Anderson Severino, Brian Trieglaff, Greg Weissert, Garret Whitlock, Matt Wivinis, Kyle Zurak

The RiverDogs may not have many household names, but that can change in a hurry. This talented group features Garcia and Molina, who could grow into their own this season. Plus, the Yankees have a knack for turning unheralded players into legitimate prospects in a hurry. Keep your eyes open here.