MLB.com | David Adler: All Rise, for the reveal of the cover of MLB The Show 2026. Aaron Judge is this year’s video game cover athlete, appearing in both his Yankees pinstripes and his Team USA uniform. This is Judge’s second time appearing on the cover of The Show, having been chosen for the 2018 edition of the game following his stellar Rookie of the Year campaign in 2017.
New York Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees have named Mario Garza, 44, their new director of international scouting. Garza will succeed longtime manager Danny Rowland, whom the Yankees fired in November after a series of poor performances in the IFA market. Garza has been with the Yankees for 16 years and most recently worked as director of baseball development.
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MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: A new pitcher is on the Yankees roster, as New York claimed right-hander Dom Hamel off waivers from the Rangers. A third-round pick by the Mets over Dallas Baptist in 2021, Hamel made his debut in September 2025, but this marks his only career game thus far. The Orioles took him off waivers shortly afterward and the Rangers would soon follow with their own waiver claim. Hamel had a high ERA at Triple-A Syracuse in 2025, but the 26-year-old supported more than one batter per inning, so maybe there’s something the Yankees can work with there. To make room for the 40 man, they designated recently claimed Marco Luciano for assignment, as well as left-hander Jayvien Sandridge, who appeared in the Yankees bullpen in 2025.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees signed 18-year-old pitcher Tijn Fredrikze as an international prospect in late 2025, the first time they have signed a European-born player in 13 years. Phillips talked to Fredrikze and Troy Williams, the scout who covers Europe, Africa and the Middle East for the Yankees and discovered Fredrikze. With so few prospects emerging from these regions, Williams was pleased to have signed Fredrikze, a player from the Netherlands who led the Dutch Major League in strikeouts last year. Fredrikze faces a long climb to the majors, but he seems confident he can overcome the obstacles. “I want to be a Hall of Famer,” he said. “That’s my goal. My first goal was to get signed, and when I got closer to that goal, my goals changed very quickly. I just want to be the best.”
News week | Jon Paul Hoornstra: Zach Monroe, pitcher who played for the Yankees in 1958 and 1959, died at the age of 94 in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois. He made 24 appearances in the majors during his career, all for the Yankees, posting a 3.38 ERA in the process. Monroe was part of the team that defeated the Milwaukee Braves in seven games in the 1958 World Series. He is survived by four daughters, as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. With Monroe’s passing, only four members of the 1958 champions remain: Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, Johnny James and now century-old pitcher Bobby Shantz.
