How Dax Kilby can fit on Yankees' roster alongside Lombard Jr., Volpe as AFL surge continues

It’s October 2026 and the Yankees are preparing for another offseason. Their former top prospect, George Lombard Jr., is about to shed his prospect label, Anthony Volpe is reinventing himself at second and third, and the next name Yankees fans need to know is already turning heads in Arizona. Dax Kilby, the system's top prospect after the deadline shakeup, is quickly becoming the face of the minor-league pipeline.

Hamstring injuries limited Kilby to 32 games at Single-A Tampa this year, but the Arizona Fall League has given him a chance to make up for lost time, and he's taking full advantage. Through 11 games, the 19-year-old is hitting .311/.353/.622 with two homers, eight RBI and five steals, and Baseball America ranked him seventh on its list of the hottest prospects in the league after a week that included a 419-foot homer to dead center. That blast left the bat at 107.1 mph, and he smoked a 109.8 mph double in the same game, which is a bit of statement for a 19-year old facing the best pitching he’s seen in his career.

The Yankees were betting on this version of Kilby when they took him 39th overall out of Newnan (Ga.) High School in 2025 and paid him nearly $2.8 million to pass on an opportunity to play at Clemson. He hit .495 as a senior while leading Newnan to its first state title in 34 years, and his game has translated to pro ball very quickly.

What jumps out (for me) when you watch Kilby is how pretty the swing is. I grew up watching Robinson Cano’s sweet swing and nonchalant throws from second base, and some scouts are saying Kilby’s swing has some resemblance to Cano, which I wouldn’t argue. There's also advanced bat-to-ball skills that let him spray the ball the other way, but when a pitch is down and in, he can turn on it and lift it with real authority as well. FanGraphs' Brendan Gawlowski compared his hand control and ability to handle velocity to Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark, which is pretty good company.

He's also tinkering this fall — Kilby told MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis that he's moved from a wide, closed stance to a narrow, open one. Kilby says the Yankees are thinking that kind of setup makes it easier to get into the back hip and use his lower half, and as he adds strength, more of those line drives will start clearing fences. Add plus speed, including a 3.55-second 30-yard dash at the draft combine, complemented with an aggressive approach on the bases, and I see a world where there is legitimate 30-30 upside.

Where Dax Kilby fits in the Yankees' long-term infield plans

The bigger question is where he plays. Kilby is a shortstop right now, but shoulder issues tied to a growth spurt in high school left him with some unusual arm action, and scouts have questioned whether he sticks there. With Lombard entrenched at short, I see a profile similar to JJ Wetherholt's, an amateur shortstop whose bat plays somewhere on the infield, depending on the situation. Third base is my first guess, and second base works too, but don't rule out center field, where some evaluators think his speed and athleticism could make him a weapon.

That flexibility is a good thing. The timing of the roster, his maturation as a player, and the Yankees' organizational needs will all shape where he lands, and a bat like his will force its way into the lineup somewhere. Volpe already showed this summer that a position change can breathe new life into a young player and even provide an unexpected spark when the squad calls for it.

Yankee fans have certainly been dreaming on scenarios like this the past few years, especially during the Anthony Volpe-mania. But let’s fast forward to Opening Day 2028— Lombard at shortstop, Kilby somewhere next to him with Volpe at the other spot, Ben Rice at first, Spencer Jones' raw power in the outfield and Cam Schlittler starting the game and leading a homegrown rotation. That's a core Yankees fans can get excited about, and if Kilby keeps hitting like this, it might come together sooner than anyone expected.

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