Former Yankees top prospect resurfaces with MLB's best team in dominant outing

Back in 2017 when the New York Yankees were Wild Card hopefuls, Brian Cashman pulled off his best trade deadline in recent memory (and that still stands in the present day). Whatever he did, it propelled the Yanks to Game 7 of the ALCS.

One of the lesser trades featured the acquisition of Jaime Garcia. New York traded pitching prospects Dietrich Enns and Zack Littell to Minnesota for the veteran left-hander in order to improve their MLB pitching depth.

Both had flashed potential. Enns reached Triple-A that year and recorded a 2.29 ERA in seven starts. Littell's 2.05 ERA at Double-A was nothing to ignore, either. But the Yankees needed to prioritize the "now" and they parted with their second tier of pitching prospects in a reasonable move. Garcia provided valuable depth down the stretch and blanked the then-Indians over 2 2/3 innings in their ALDS comeback.

As for how the trade is working out right now? Not good! Everybody knows what Littell is doing at the moment. He's in his second straight full season with the Rays and continues to put forth solid results (he has a 3.75 ERA in 71 games with Tampa). His name was coming up in trade buzz before the Rays went on a tear to get back in the AL East conversation.

And Enns? The left-hander just returned to MLB after a three-year stint in Asia. He resurfaced with the Detroit Tigers to make his first MLB appearance since 2021 and he blanked the Athletics over five innings of work on Thursday.

Former Yankees top prospect Dietrich Enns resurfaces with Tigers in dominant outing

Enns got the win after twirling five scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and two walks and threw 77 pitches. That was an immense help for the MLB-best Tigers, who, like every other team, are dealing with some tough injuries to their pitching staff.

Though Enns, who is in his age-34 season, isn't going to be a scoreless inning machine, he could turn into a valuable depth piece for Detroit. If he has the flexibility to start games and provide some length while coming out of the bullpen for multi-inning appearances, it will greatly alleviate stress on the Tigers' pitching staff.

That could have a direct impact on the Yankees, who could very well face the Tigers in the postseason should both teams continue on this trajectory. And if Dietrich Enns is a player who ends up tilting the scales in any manner — along with Gleyber Torres, Tommy Kahnle and Jahmai Jones — New York fans might finally lose their minds.