New Crop Of Yankees Prospects Assigned To Patriots

Photo Credit: Hudson Valley Renegades

Bridgewater, New Jersey – The New York Yankees have assigned six players to their Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots.

RHP Luis Medina, LHP Ken Waldichuk, RHP Hayden Wesneski and RHP Nick Green join the team from High-A Hudson Valley. RHP Addison Russ and RHP Zach Greene come to Somerset from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Adding some 🔥🔥🔥🔥 to the pitching staff!

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 top 30 #Yankees prospects are joining Somerset, including No. 7 prospect Luis Medina and No. 27 prospect LHP Ken Waldichuk, who has not yet allowed a run over 30.2 innings this season! pic.twitter.com/1nB4Tiqomy

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 15, 2021

Medina is listed as New York’s No. 7 (MLB Pipeline) and No. 9 (Baseball America) ranked prospect. He started the season 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 32.2 innings as a starter for Hudson Valley.

On May 20th, Medina struck out a career-high 11 in 5.2 innings of work against the Brooklyn Cyclones. The hard-throwing Dominican has a fastball that averages between 96-99 mph and reaches triple digits.

_Baseball America _wrote before the 2021 season that Medina had "the best pure stuff in the Yankees' system." He was originally acquired by the Yankees as an international free agent in July of 2015.

Waldichuk, the fifth round pick of the Yankees in the 2019 draft, has dominated in his first seven games of the 2021 season for Hudson Valley. He has not allowed a run in his 30.2 innings pitched, leading to a 2-0 record and 52 strikeouts. In addition, he’s allowed only 12 hits on the season, including four games where he gave up just one hit.

Wesneski currently has a 1-1 record with a 1.49 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 36.1 innings pitched in seven games started with the Renegades. In his last start on Sunday against Brooklyn, Wesneski held the Cyclones to two hits and struck out nine over seven shutout innings.

The Houston, Texas native was the Yankees sixth round selection in the 2019 draft.

Waldichuk is listed as the No. 27 prospect in the Yankees' organization (MLB Pipeline), while Wesneski is ranked at No. 30 (MLB Pipeline).

More fuel to the 🔥! pic.twitter.com/ixKdVqA1hC

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) June 15, 2021

Greene has a 2-2 record with a 2.21 ERA over nine relief appearances with Hudson Valley. He also has one save and has struck out 33 batters against eight walks over 20.1 innings of work. Opponents have hit just .092 against Greene this season, the lowest batting average against among all Renegades pitchers with at least nine appearances.

Russ joins the Patriots with 13 strikeouts across eight appearances in Triple-A earlier this season. The Texas native was ranked as the No. 20 prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies organization (_Baseball America) _prior to the 2020 season. He was traded to the Yankees on August 21, 2020 for RHP David Hale.

In 2019, Russ posted a 4-5 record with a 2.54 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 56.2 innings with Double-A Reading. He also led the Eastern League in appearances (55) and ranked third in saves (22) that season.

Green is 0-1 with a 6.46 ERA and 23 strikeouts over seven starts with the RailRiders this season. He has made 18 appearances (16 starts) at the Double-A level across 2018 and 2019. Green was a 7th-round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 2014 and was traded to the Yankees in 2016 as a part of a package that sent outfielder Carlos Beltran to Texas.

Other moves included the promotion of RHP Luis Gil, LHP Matt Krook and RHP Greg Weissert from Somerset to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Hudson Valley will receive RHP Reid Anderson, INF Oliver Dunn, RHP Carlos Espinal and RHP Shawn Semple.

About the Somerset Patriots

The Somerset Patriots are the New York Yankees Double-A Affiliate and develop today’s top minor league talent into the pinstriped superstars of tomorrow for MLB’s winningest team. The Patriots compete in the Double-A Northeast League and play their home games at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ, where fans of all ages and levels of baseball fandom get to enjoy the unique experience that is minor league baseball.

To learn more, visit: somersetpatriots.com.