Before Game 3 of their four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, the New York Yankees announced that they have promoted highly-regarded pitching prospect Henry Lalane to High-A Hudson Valley from Single-A Tampa.
MiLB.com wrote: “LHP Henry Lalane assigned to Hudson Valley Renegades from Tampa Tarpons.”
Lalane, the Yankees’ No. 5 overall prospect per Baseball America, is a 6-foot-7 left-handed 22-year-old starter.
New York Yankees Promote 6-foot-7 Pitcher
Believe it or not, the Yankees have someone who stands at 6-foot-7 in their organization other than Aaron Judge.
Lalane signed a minor-league deal with New York on May 4, 2021, out of the Dominican Republic for a signing bonus of $350,000. Lalane was actually born in the Bronx, but moved to the Dominican Republic as a child.
It’s taken a while for Lalane to develop. He finally reached Single-A in 2024. However, he only threw 12 1/3 innings that season between Single-A and the Complex League because of a shoulder issue that required surgery in the offseason.
Lalalne logged 16 1/3 innings at the Single-A level in 2025, posting a 1.65 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate and 17.8% walk rate. He has lowered his walk rate to a respectable 8.9% in Single-A this year and boosted his strikeout rate to a fantastic 32.8% over 62 1/3 innings. The left-hander recorded a 2.74 ERA and 2.58 FIP in Single-A this season before his recent promotion.
Per MLB Pipeline, Lalane’s fastball can touch 97 mph but typically sits in the low-90s. He complements his fastball with a low-80s changeup with depth and a mid-70s slurve.
At just 22 years old, Lalane has plenty of time to develop into a big leaguer, even though he hasn’t progressed through the minors as fast as he likely had hoped. MLB Pipeline, which has Lalane ranked as New York’s No. 14 overall prospect, projects the left-hander will reach the majors in 2028.
New York Yankees Right Now
The Yankees are arguably the best team in the American League on paper. They have the best run differential in the league by far at +80, with the Tampa Bay Rays ranking second at +33.
However, Tampa Bay has managed to win more games to this point in the season. Based on talent, New York seems to still have the best shot to win the AL East. But right now, the Rays lead the division by two games.
The Yankees must turn things around quickly to reclaim the division lead. If the Yankees drop the next two games against the Rays, they will be six games back of Tampa Bay in the division. But if they win the next two, they will be just two back.
Game 3 of the four-game series between the Yankees and Rays at Tropicana Field is scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. It’s a highly anticipated pitching matchup, with right-hander Gerrit Cole (3-3, 4.01 ERA, 41 SO, 42 2/3 IP) slated to take the mound for New York and left-hander Shane McClanahan (7-5, 3.05 ERA, 77 SO, 79 2/3 IP) for Tampa Bay. With a left-hander on the mound, Goldschmidt will most likely be in the lineup. The game will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and Rays.TV.
New York Yankees Quietly Promote 6-foot-7 Pitcher In Organization Amid Rays Series