Yankees Prospect Domingo Acevedo Placed on the Minor League DL

The Yankees’ minor league pitching depth took another hit Friday when the Class-A Charleston Riverdogs placed flame-throwing starter Domingo Acevedo on the 7-day disabled list with an undisclosed lower body injury. Ranked the number seven overall prospect in the organization by MLB.com, Acevedo was expected to rise quickly through the system this season, largely on the strength of his blazing fastball, which has been clocked as high as 103 mph.

This news comes just a week after it was announced that New York’s top pitching prospect James Kaprielian will be sidelined indefinitely with elbow inflammation, leading to fears he might be at risk of needing TJ surgery. Several of the team’s prominent minor league arms have already gone under the knife this season, including Domingo German, Nick Rumbelow, Ty Hensley, and Branden Pinder.

Related Story: James Kaprielian Sidelined Indefinitely with Elbow Inflammation

Losing Acevedo for an extended period would be a major blow to the Yankees’ already thin starting pitching corps. Very little information about the injury was released, as is typical in the lower minors, but the fact that it isn’t an arm injury is encouraging. The 22-year-old has been dominant in his first six starts for the Riverdogs, striking out 37 and walking only five in 33.1 IP, pitching to a 2.43 ERA. Despite Acevedo’s massive stature (he’s listed at 6’7 and 190 lbs.), has shown remarkable control this season, something young pitchers his size often struggle with. He pairs his incredible fastball with an above average change and a breaking ball that is still a work in progress.

Acevedo has made tremendous strides in his last four seasons since breaking into the Dominican Summer League as a lanky 19-year-old. With his combination of size and stuff, he arguably has the highest ceiling among all of the starting pitching prospects in the Yankee system.