This top New York Yankees prospect has encountered some serious problems over the last year.
When you think of the New York Yankees' top pitching prospects in 2026, Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez and Ben Hess immediately come to mind.
But there is one name many Yankees fans have forgotten when it comes to their most prized young arms: Bryce Cunningham.
When New York selected Cunningham in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, he was viewed even more favorably than the aforementioned trio by some.
Based on the potential Cunningham flashed at Vanderbilt, you could see why, but it was clear that the right-hander still had not put it together just yet. His 4.36 ERA during his final season with the Commodores was concrete evidence of that.
However, Cunningham proceeded to get off to a torrid start in the Yankees' farm system last year, logging a 2.82 ERA while allowing just 42 hits and registering 55 strikeouts over 54.1 innings of work at Single-A Hudson Valley.
The problem? Cunningham was shelved after just 12 appearances due to a shoulder injury, and he was then absolutely shelled in the Arizona Fall League, laying claim toa 10.38 ERA and 2.231 WHIP through five outings.
New York Yankees pitcher Bryce Cunningham. Credit: USA TODAY Network.To make matters worse, Cunningham was placed on the injured list to begin the 2026 minor-league campaign as a result of arm soreness, and in his first start back, he surrendered a couple of runs in three innings.
Suddenly, Cunningham has fallen behind all of Lagrange, Rodriguez and Hess, and he is even in danger of dropping beneath names like Thatcher Hurd, Pico Kohn and Henry Lalane.
It's not like Cunningham is incredibly young, either. He is 23 years old and still has not pitched a full season in Single-A, so the road to the majors will be long and difficult for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound hurler.
Compounding the issue for Cunningham is that the Yankees are absolutely loaded with starting pitching, so he might not ever even get the chance to flash his stuff for New York's major-league squad.
It might seem early, but make no mistake: the clock is already ticking for Cunningham, especially with Rodriguez having already made his big-league debut (in spite of being nearly a year younger than Cunningham) and Lagrange turning heads in Spring Training. Hess has looked incredible, as well.
The Yankees have had plenty of prospects fizzle out over the years, and while it's too premature to say that Cunningham is headed down that road, it's not too soon to say that he needs to start proving himself as soon as possible.
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