{"id":431367,"date":"2026-01-23T03:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T03:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/431367\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T03:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T03:34:08","slug":"yankees-add-some-right-handed-power-on-heels-of-cody-bellinger-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/431367\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees add some right-handed power on heels of Cody Bellinger return"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Yankees<\/a> are taking a flier on a five-tool flop who was dubbed a \u201cpotential superstar\u201d during a six-year run as one of baseball\u2019s best shortstop prospects.<\/p>\n

A day after free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger re-signed<\/a> for $162.5 million over five seasons, the Yankees added a potential bench piece by claiming Marco Luciano off waivers from the Orioles.<\/p>\n

Luciano, 24, has changed organizations three times this winter after seven seasons as a Giants prospect, as he was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Dec. 5, the Orioles on Jan. 7 and now the Yankees.<\/p>\n

The right-handed hitter spent all of 2025 with Triple-A Sacramento after batting .217 with three RBI and 45 strikeouts in 81 plate appearances playing 41 games with the Giants from 2023-24.<\/p>\n

Last year, Luciano converted from middle infield to left field and hit .214 with 23 homers, 66 RBI and 10 steals playing 125 games. Starting 107 starts in left, 17 at DH and one at first base, he once had a lot of swing-and-miss in his game with a high 29.6 strikeout rate (170 K, 555 PA).<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Dominican was signed by the Giants for $2.6 million as a 16-year-old in July 2018, then was ranked among their top three prospects in MLB Pipeline\u2019s top 30 rankings for six consecutive seasons. He was No. 3 in 2019, No. 2 in 2020, No. 1 in 2021 and 2022, then No. 2 again in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n

Also, Luciano was a top 100 prospect in Baseball America\u2019s MLB rankings five years in a row, topping out at No. 12 heading into 2021.<\/p>\n

Here is an excerpt from MLB Pipeline\u2019s 2021 scouting report:<\/p>\n

Luciano\u2019s bat speed and raw power rank among the best in the minors and stand out in particular for a middle infielder. He has a lightning-fast right-handed stroke with loft and his strength continues to increase as he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame. He also has the hitting ability to get the most out of his pop, already showing a willingness to use the entire field and take walks when opponents pitch around him. In addition to his offensive promise, Luciano also offers plus arm strength, a high baseball IQ and good actions at shortstop. There\u2019s still some question as to whether he can remain at short because he has fringy speed and could lose a step as he gets more physical, but the worst-case scenario is that he shifts to third base or right field. He has the tools to be a solid defender at either spot and his bat makes him a potential superstar anywhere he plays.<\/p>\n

Luciano looked the part as a \u201cpotential superstar\u201d until 2023 when he debuted in Triple-A and then the big leagues.<\/p>\n

The Yankees must like Luciano\u2019s potential because they used their one 40-man roster opening on him before re-adding Bellinger, who return won\u2019t became official until he passes a physical. Once Bellinger gets a spot, the Yankees will have to drop someone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Yankees are taking a flier on a five-tool flop who was dubbed a \u201cpotential superstar\u201d during a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431368,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-431367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}