NEW YORK, NY — New York Yankees’ top pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez is about to embark on a full-circle journey as he was drafted out of Puerto Rico in high school, and will now be pitching for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
“Representing my country in the (World Baseball) Classic will be an unforgettable honor and a dream come true, a responsibility I will take on with humility, pride, and the commitment to always give my very best,” Rodríguez said, according to the Puerto Rico Federación de Béisbol’s account on X/Twitter.
The 22-year-old, born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico was drafted out of the Leadership Christian Academy in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. Three years later in December of 2024, Rodríguez was then traded to the Yankees for catcher Carlos Narváez, joining the other side of the rivalry.
The Yankees’ top-pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez, ranked 82nd overall on MLB’s Pipeline Top 100 List, was given the full-go to pitch for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Image Credit: Minor League Baseball
He started his Yankees tenure this past season with High-A Hudson Valley, and ended with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre—a massive jump that saw him earn recognition on various professional prospect ranking websites. So much so Rodríguez is now listed as the third-ranked prospect in the Yankees’ farm system and 82nd overall on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Rankings.
Latino Sports caught up with Rodríguez, who was more than willing to take the time in Double-A Somerset this past summer during the early parts of August.
”With Puerto Rico, it’s not a big country. Just coming out of there, I want to be an example to those kids,” he said. “If you put in the work and some dedication and discipline to it, you can always achieve your dreams. It’s an honor for me to come out of Puerto Rico.”
Rodríguez showed off his fastball velocity as high as 99-MPH this past season and improved his arsenal across the board, consistently executing on a slider, curveball, splitter, and changeup. He was ranked second in the minors with 176 strikeouts and fifth with 150 innings in 2025 as his ERA was 2.58, which ranked eighth, along with an opponent batting average of .192.
“I’m throwing more sweepers and sinkers, and I throw a gyro slider, curveball, fastball, and splitter also,” he said. “I’m putting more emphasis on using all of my pitches and trusting all of my stuff in any count.”
Rodríguez also expressed how taking care of his body, changing his diet, bulking up, and taking advantage of the Yankees’ top-tier training facilities helped him tremendously as well as his adjustment to life and baseball in the United States.
“I mean, it was kind of different when I was back home,” Rodríguez explained. “I used to learn English when I was in school, but coming out here, it’s not the same as being at home, you just speak Spanish.”
Not only is Rodríguez a vital piece of Puerto Rico’s rotation for the 2026 WBC, but he is also knocking on the door of the Yankees’ rotation. His projected MLB debut date is slated for this upcoming season, according to MLB Pipeline.
Elmer Rodríguez began his 2025 campaign in High-A with the Hudson Valley Renegades and finished the year at Triple-A with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders – Image Credit: Minor League Baseball
For Puerto Rico, their roster is undermanned without José Berríos, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Javier Báez, and a few other notable names who will not be playing though Berríos could be activated if Puerto Rico advances out of Pool A, which they are hosting at Hiram Bithron Stadium in San Juan from March 6th to March 11th.
“At the end of the day, baseball is just baseball, wherever you play, like if it’s there in Puerto Rico or here in the U.S.,” Rodríguez said. “I just try to do all the fundamentals I was taught back home and just take it out to the field.”
While Pool A consists of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Panama, and Canada, Rodríguez will be counted on to start at least one of the Pool games. He will need to do his part to help Puerto Rico secure a top-two finish in the Pool which would advance them to the knockout round of the WBC.
The official tournament format for the 2026 World Baseball Classic which is set to begin March 5th in Tokyo, Japan and March 6th in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miami, Florida and Houston, Texas – Image Credit: World Baseball Classic/MLB
Overall, Puerto Rico still has high expectations to get out of the group, despite the diminished roster. If they don’t secure a top-two finish in Pool A, it would be viewed as a massive failure for Puerto Rican fans.
Either way, Rodríguez is excited to get the opportunity to pitch in front of family, friends, and fans in Puerto Rico once again. If he throws the ball well, it will only push him closer to the Yankees’ major league rotation in 2026.
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