Yankees remove No. 13 prospect Dillon Tate from Arizona Fall League roster

The New York Yankees have pulled right-hander Dillon Tate from the Arizona Fall League. But why?

Dillon Tate was one of six players the Yankees originally sent to Arizona. The hope was for Tate, ranked as the organization’s No. 13 prospect on MLB.com’s Prospect Watch, to build upon a successful season and strengthen his arm by pitching more games.

The Yankees have not yet announced the reason for Tate’s removal.

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Right-handers Albert Abreu (Yankees’ No. 7) and Cody Carroll (No. 25) have been added in the wake of Tate’s departure. They will join Estevan Florial (No. 3), Justus Sheffield (No. 4), Thairo Estrada (No. 17), Chris Gittens and Kyle Holder as the Yanks’ AFL representatives.

Tate was the prized return in a deal that sent Carlos Beltrán to the Texas Rangers last year. Since changing scenery, Tate has improved his stock from a “lottery ticket,” as Brian Cashman once called the pitcher, to a legitimate prospect once again.

Texas selected Tate fourth overall in the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft. However, they soured on the first-rounder after he posted a 5.12 ERA in 16 starts with the Class-A Hickory Crawdads. The Rangers tried tinkering with his mechanics and it went horribly wrong. When Tate came to New York, he was told to wipe the slate clean and do what felt right for him.

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Safe to say, the reprogramming paid off for the 23-year-old in 2017. Tate dominated the lower minors in 13 starts, posting a pristine 2.81 ERA with low walk (2.6 BB/9) and homer (0.8 HR/9) rates. His fastball is averaging mid-90s and a slightly different arm slot has added bite to his slider.

Yanks Go Yard will update fans periodically about how the Baby Bombers are doing in the AFL.