The Yankees made a quiet but notable move this week, outrighting Marco Luciano to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after he cleared waivers. It's the latest chapter in what's been a whirlwind offseason for the 24-year-old, who’s been bouncing around the league like a pinball-claimed by the Pirates, then the Orioles, and finally the Yankees, all since December. Now, with the waiver carousel behind him, Luciano has a landing spot and a clearer path heading into spring training.
For Luciano, staying in one place-even as a non-roster player-might be a welcome change. The former top prospect in the Giants’ system once looked like the future at shortstop in San Francisco, a potential heir to Brandon Crawford.
He had the pedigree, the tools, and the buzz. But like a lot of young players, the transition to the upper levels of the minors exposed some cracks in the foundation.
Offensively, Luciano showed flashes of the power that made him a top-100 prospect, launching 33 homers over the past two seasons in Triple-A. That came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but still, the pop is real.
He also posted a strong 16% walk rate-an encouraging sign of plate discipline. But the strikeouts have been a persistent issue.
A 29.1% K-rate in Triple-A is high, and it only got worse in the majors, where he struck out in more than a third of his plate appearances (35.7%) during a brief stint.
The result: a .229/.354/.400 slash line in Triple-A over the last two years-good for a 101 wRC+, which is essentially league average when adjusted for park and league context. In the big leagues, that dipped to .217/.286/.304 across 126 plate appearances. The bat hasn’t quite translated yet, and with his three minor league options now used up, Luciano finds himself in a tough spot-too intriguing to ignore, but not consistent enough to stick on a 40-man roster.
Defensively, things haven’t been much smoother. Originally a shortstop, Luciano’s glove didn’t hold up as he climbed the ladder.
Last year, the Giants moved him to left field, a shift that signaled a growing concern about his ability to handle the infield. San Francisco's signing of Willy Adames to lock down shortstop only added to that transition pressure.
Now with the Yankees listing him as an infielder/outfielder, it’s possible they’ll give him another look on the dirt this spring-perhaps at second or third base, where the defensive demands are a bit lighter.
From the Yankees’ perspective, there’s little downside here. Luciano hits from the right side, and with a lineup that leans lefty, there’s room for a right-handed bat to emerge as a depth piece. The team has been linked to veteran righty hitters like Paul Goldschmidt, Randal Grichuk, and Austin Slater in free agency, but Luciano offers a younger, in-house option with upside-if they can tap into it.
It’s a long shot, sure. But Luciano still has less than a year of MLB service time, meaning if he does figure it out, the Yankees could control him for up to six seasons. That kind of long-term upside, even in a depth role, is worth a closer look.
So while Luciano’s not cracking the Opening Day roster just yet, he’s not out of the picture either. Spring training is around the corner, and with it comes opportunity. The Yankees will see if they can help him turn the page-and maybe, finally, settle into the promise that once made him one of the most talked-about young players in the game.