Most of the focus this time of year in baseball is on the playoff races across Major League Baseball.
For the New York Yankees, for example, that means recognizing that they clinched a playoff spot with their win on Monday night and are now trying to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays atop the American League East Division.
But there’s more going on in the world of baseball, including with some of the game’s top prospects.
On Tuesday, rosters were announced for the Arizona Fall League, which takes place after the minor league season concludes and provides some strong development opportunities for some of the game’s best young prospects.
Teams are very selective about who they send to the AFL, because many prospects need rest after a long season. But some have reason to keep plugging away.
For the Yanks, the highlight of their selections was Dax Kilby, the shortstop who is ranked as MLB.com’s No. 85 prospect in the sport.
Dax Kilby to Arizona Fall League
Kilby was a perfect candidate to be sent to Fall League this year. He missed most of the season with an injury, so he could definitely use the extra at bats.
“Kilby is one of the best pure hitters ticketed for the AFL and will make up for lost at-bats after playing just 36 games this season while dealing with a hamstring injury,” MLB.com wrote in its roster announcement.
Kilby was a first-round pick by the Yankees, No. 39 overall, in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Newnan High School in Georgia. He’ll turn 20 years old on Nov. 17.
He’s a lanky shortstop at 6-foot-2 who swings from the left side. In his first pro season in 2025 with Single-A Tampa, Kilby hit .353 with 16 steals in 17 attempts.
He struggled a bit more this season, with a .261 average back at Tampa in 32 games, although he also hit his first four professional home runs as he grows into his power.
Kilby will face a decent amount of pitchers who are more experienced than he is at Fall League, so it’ll be a good test to see where he is, both mentally and with his swing and approach to the game.
Yankees’ Fall League Picks
The Yankees will send six players overall to Arizona Fall League, all to the team in Salt River.
The other five: Core Jackson, Mack Estrada, J.T. Etheridge, Chris Veach and Kyle West.
Estrada, Etheridge and Veach are all right-handed pitchers. West is a first baseman.
Jackson is the highest-ranked of the bunch, coming in as the No. 12 prospect in the Yankees’ organization.
“Jackson is a skilled defender at shortstop and hit .262/.360/.459 with 14 homers and 41 steals in 104 games between High-A and Double-A in his first full pro season,” MLB.com writes.
Considering Jackson has been healthy most of the season, this feels like a big vote of confidence in him by the Yankees to let him play against solid competition in the Fall League. It could be a big step in his development.
Yankees Announce Big Career News for Top-100 Prospect