The Yankees are scrambling to fill out their 40-man roster with spring training weeks away, and their latest move just raised more questions than answers. But if you’re wondering whether claiming Marco Luciano off waivers is a stroke of genius or another roster puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit, you’re about to get the full story.
Who Is Marco Luciano and Why Should You Care?
Remember when Marco Luciano was supposed to be the next big thing? Back in 2022, the 24-year-old infielder was sitting pretty as the San Francisco Giants’ top prospect. Baseball insiders couldn’t stop raving about his electric bat speed and the kind of raw power that makes scouts salivate.
Fast forward to today, and the Yankees are his fourth team in less than two months. That’s right—the Giants cut him loose in December, the Pittsburgh Pirates grabbed him off waivers and then immediately said “no thanks,” the Baltimore Orioles took a quick look, and now he’s wearing pinstripes.
So what happened to this once-untouchable prospect? The brutal truth is that talent doesn’t always translate.
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The Numbers Tell a Complicated Story
Luciano spent all of 2025 grinding it out at Triple-A Sacramento, and on the surface, 23 home runs sounds impressive. But here’s the catch—he’s batting just .214 with a strikeout rate hovering around 31%. That’s basically striking out nearly one out of every three times he steps up to the plate.
His brief major league experience hasn’t been much prettier. In 126 plate appearances across two seasons with the Giants, Luciano managed a .217 batting average with an alarming tendency to swing and miss at critical pitches. When you’re struggling to make consistent contact in the Pacific Coast League—one of baseball’s most hitter-friendly environments—that’s a red flag.
The Real Problem: He’s Out of Options
Here’s where things get interesting for the Yankees. Luciano has burned through all his minor league options, which means the team can’t just stash him in Triple-A Scranton without exposing him to waivers again. It’s a use-it-or-lose-it situation.
The Yankees are basically betting that a change of scenery and their player development staff can unlock something that three other organizations couldn’t find. It’s the baseball equivalent of buying a fixer-upper house—lots of potential, but you’d better be ready to put in the work.
What Makes Him Worth the Gamble?
Despite all the red flags, there’s a reason teams keep giving Luciano chances. The dude can absolutely crush baseballs when he makes contact. Those 23 Triple-A home runs weren’t flukes—he’s consistently hit double-digit homers at every minor league stop in his career.
He’s also shown he can destroy left-handed pitching. In his limited time with the Giants, he went 12-for-36 against southpaws with five doubles. Last season at Triple-A, he slashed .282/.403/.583 against lefties. That kind of platoon potential has value, especially for a team looking for depth pieces.
The Yankees aren’t exactly rolling in left-handed power options either, and Luciano’s positional flexibility—he can play corner infield and outfield spots—gives them roster maneuverability.
What Happens Next?
This move screams “spring training audition.” The Yankees have weeks to figure out if Luciano can cut his strikeout rate and become a useful bench bat, or if he’s just another name on the organizational depth chart.
The timing is crucial. With the team finalizing their offseason business and still navigating the Cody Bellinger re-signing, every 40-man roster spot matters. If they need to make room for another move, Luciano could be right back on waivers before he even gets comfortable in the Bronx.
For Yankees fans, this is classic Brian Cashman—taking a low-risk flyer on a guy with a fancy prospect pedigree and hoping the development staff can work some magic. Sometimes it works (remember Luke Voit?), and sometimes it doesn’t.
The bottom line? Don’t expect Marco Luciano to be your everyday starter, but don’t write him off completely either. Stranger things have happened in baseball, and if anyone can figure out how to tap into that raw power without striking out every other at-bat, it might just be the Yankees.
Keep your eyes on spring training. That’s where we’ll find out if this waiver claim was brilliant or just another name to forget by April.
Source: MLB.com
Vikas Tiwari, writer and editor focused on Yankees news, rumors, trade updates, and game coverage, emphasizing accuracy, sourcing, and clarity.
