Yankees Prospect Jorge Mateo Suspended for Two Weeks

As per the latest Yankees headache, top prospect Jorge Mateo has been suspended for two weeks for “a violation of team policy.”

Update at 7/7 7:57 am: According to George King of the New York Post, Mateo may have been suspended after complaining to Yankees officials that he hadn’t been promoted to Double-A. He also hints that there may have been another infraction that led to the suspension. Probably more to follow.

Josh Norris was the first to report Mateo’s suspension via Twitter, while Lohud Yankees Blog broke the news that the shortstop will also be unable to participate in the minor league Futures Game.

General manager Brian Cashman has declined to comment for the time being, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN, so Yankees fans will have to stay tuned.

There’s a good chance that the actual reasoning for suspending Mateo will not be released to the media. The organization went through a similar ordeal with catching prospect Gary Sanchez at the Double-A level in 2014. It was revealed that Sanchez was benched for a “disciplinary action,” although specifics were not covered by Trenton’s manager, Tony Franklin.

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It’s an unfortunate short-term stunt to Mateo’s development. He was batting .266/.323/.396 with five homers and 34 RBIs in 76 games and learning to play second base to increase his versatility and make room for other middle infielders in the Yankees’ system.

Mateo was ranked as the number one prospect in the Yankees system by MLB Pipeline, and the 30th overall prospect in baseball. Known for his elite speed, Mateo led all minor leaguers in stolen bases last season with 82.

The 21-year-old shortstop has been in the Yankees system since signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2012. Up to this point, the prospect’s work ethic has never been questioned, so one can’t help but wonder exactly what the issue is.

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One thing is for sure: Jorge Mateo has incredible tools and talent, so hopefully the top-tier athlete can learn from the experience and get back to work in two weeks. Yankees fans should cross their fingers that this is not the beginning of a trend for the crown jewel of their minor league system.