Yankees add pitching prospect Randy Vasquez to 40-man roster

The Yankees’ busy day continued, with the club announcing that they’ve added right-handed pitcher Randy Vasquez to the 40-man roster. The deadline to add prospects to the 40-man roster, and subsequently protect them in the Rule 5 Draft, is today. Vasquez’s addition comes on the heels of Stephen Ridings getting claimed on waivers by the Mets, which cleared an additional spot on the Yankees’ roster.

Vasquez’s inclusion makes sense, after a two-year stretch that’s seen him rise through the ranks of Yankee prospects. The righty, who just turned 24, broke out last year, running a 2.52 ERA in 107.1 innings across A-Ball and Double-A. Vasquez consolidated in 2022, managing a 3.90 ERA in 115.1 innings at Double-A, striking out 120 against 41 walks.

MLB Pipeline ranks Vasquez as the Yankees’ number-14 prospect, and given his age and experience in the higher minors, he may have been a target for rebuilding teams in the Rule 5 Draft. Vasquez reportedly sits in the mid-to-low 90’s with his four-seam fastball, though a hard curveball is his trademark offering. From MLB Pipeline:

Vasquez’s best pitch is a curveball that combines power (78-82 mph) and depth produced by excellent spin rates that consistently top 3,100 rpm, and it’s an absolute hammer at times.

Vasquez also shows a two-seamer, slider, and changeup that all could be about average. He’s listed at 6-foot even and doesn’t possess premium velocity like some other arms that have passed through the Yankee farm system, but he has an interesting package of skills that could make him a viable big league arm.

That might do it for Yankees’ roster machinations for the day, but we’ll keep you posted on any other happenings.