Yankees May Have Heir Apparent to Fix 'One of Their Biggest Regrets'

Somerset Patriots

New York Yankees prospect Roc Riggio

Apparently, the New York Yankees were not totally enamored with the overall package that Gleyber Torres brought to second base.

But it doesn’t feel too hyperbolic to suggest that they wouldn’t mind having some of the consistent offensive production that Torres provided at the position over the years.

As the Yankees primary second baseman from 2022 to 2024, Torres started 414 out of a possible 486 regular season games there. In the first 64 regular season games since Torres left to sign with the Detroit Tigers, New York has used five different players to fill those innings, led by DJ Lemahieu and Jazz Chisholm , and the quintet has been underwhelming, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Torres has played 54 games at second for the Tigers, slashing .269/.381/.394. As stated by Joe Gonzalez of AI Bat :

“The Yankees’ dilemma is clear. As they try to find the right formula in the infield, Torres continues to shine in Detroit. His departure from the Bronx left a void that the Bombers have yet to fill. The decision not to bring him back might be one of their biggest regrets this season.”

But perhaps that regret will be fairly short-lived, because according to Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media, the Yankees may have their heir apparent at second base primed for a 2026 debut.

Roc Riggio Crushed Four Home Runs in His First Five Double-A Games

Giving his prospect report as part of the Fireside Yankees podcast , Garcia highlighted the recent rise of Roc Riggio . A fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft, Riggio was promoted to Double-A Somerset on June 3 after an impressive 20-game run with High-A Hudson Valley, and in his first five games with the Patriots, the 22-year-old second baseman has slashed .318/.318/.909 with a staggering OPS of 1.227, crushing four home runs and a double among his seven hits.

“He’s hit the [heck] out of the ball this year,” Garcia said.

In 106 games at Hudson Valley last season, the Oklahoma State University product finished with 27 doubles, 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. Over 27 games in 2025, including a pair in the Florida Complex League while on a rehab assignment, Riggio already has 11 dingers.

“The raw power has always been slightly above average, he’s always had enough power to be a quality power hitter,” Garcia said. “But the game power last year was more average, it wasn’t great. He was hitting more doubles than he was home runs, and that’s not a bad thing, but you want to see more home run power than double power if you’re someone Roc Riggio, with a lot of loft in your swing.”

Yankees Analysts Suggests Roc Riggio Could Compete for MLB Job in 2026

Garcia said the key behind the uptick in homers has been an uptick in bat speed, the by-product of which could be a lower batting average, but the Yankees will take the power numbers.

“He pulls the ball enough where the fly balls are going to leave the yard,” Garcia said. “He’s swinging a little bit more aggressively in the zone. We’re not seeing the passive Roc Riggio that we saw a little bit at times last year. His contact rates are a little bit worse than last year, but that’s expected for someone who’s swinging a little bit harder and doing a little more damage on contact.”

And Garcia suggested that the progression for Riggio, who also stole 27 bases at Hudson Valley last season, could have him competing for a big league job as soon as spring training in 2026.

“If I’m Roc Riggio, you’ve got to have that date circled on your calendar, you’ve got to have February 2026 circled on the calendar, because that’s a year that could be huge for his development,” Garcia said. “He has performed at a very, very, very high level this season, I’m very impressed with him.”

Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson