TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees announced their list of 27 non-roster invitees to spring training on Thursday. The names included top prospects George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange. Veterans like Paul DeJong and Seth Brown made the cut. Even Marco Luciano, the former top-100 prospect claimed off waivers from Baltimore, landed a spot.
The list brought the total number of players expected to report to George M. Steinbrenner Field to 67. Pitchers and catchers are due to report on Feb. 11. Position players follow a few days later. Camp is about to get very busy.
But one name was nowhere to be found. And fans noticed.
A winter signing that generated real buzz
On Dec. 27, the Yankees quietly signed Nick Torres to a minor-league contract. His former Mexican League team, Algodoneros Union Laguna, confirmed the deal and posted a public farewell on social media.
“Thank you, Nick Torres, for every game, every delivery, and every thrill you gave us,” the team wrote. “For the way you have connected with the fans, for becoming a reference, an idol, and one of the most beloved players of this house.”
Torres earned that tribute. The 32-year-old right-handed hitting first baseman and outfielder was the 2025 Mexican League MVP. He slashed .347/.425/.730 with 27 home runs and 79 RBI across just 86 games for Union Laguna. His OPS was a staggering 1.155.
Over six Mexican League seasons, Torres posted a career .321 batting average with 128 home runs and 501 RBI in 691 games. His combined career OPS in the league was .955. He also made a strong impression in the Dominican Winter League this past offseason, putting himself on the radar of MLB scouts looking for right-handed bats.
The name that was missing when it mattered
When the Yankees released their non-roster invitee list on Thursday, Torres was not on it. There was no explanation. No update from the team. No corresponding transaction.
Fans and writers scrambled for answers. One fan posted on X simply: “Nick Torres???” The question echoed across Yankees social media. The same writers who had been excited to track Torres through spring training were left hunting for information that did not exist.
Torres has not played affiliated MLB baseball since 2018, when he was with the Texas Rangers’ minor league system. Before that, he came up through the San Diego Padres organization after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Cal Poly. He played 283 games at the Double-A and Triple-A levels between 2014 and 2018, hitting a combined .267. He never got the call to the big leagues.
After being released, Torres rebuilt his career in the Mexican League starting in 2019 with Puebla before spending five dominant seasons with Union Laguna. The MVP campaign last summer was the crown jewel. When the Yankees signed him in late December, it felt like a low-risk flier with real upside. A right-handed bat who could play first base and the outfield corners. A potential platoon partner for the left-handed hitting Ben Rice at some point after some Triple-A seasoning.
Now, with camp days away, nobody seems to know where things stand.
What the Yankees did include on the list
The 27 invitees the Yankees did announce were a mix of top prospects and veteran depth pieces. Lombard Jr., the club’s No. 1 prospect, is a 20-year-old shortstop who earned an All-Star Futures Game selection last year after hitting .235/.367/.381 across High-A and Double-A. Lagrange, the No. 2 prospect, is a hard-throwing right-hander whose fastball touches 103 mph.
Right-hander Ben Hess, another top pitching prospect, was also invited after posting a 2.70 ERA in seven Double-A starts following a midseason promotion in 2025. All three represent the future of the Yankees’ farm system and will draw heavy attention this spring.
Among the veterans, DeJong brings 146 career MLB home runs and nine years of big league experience. Brown, the former Athletics outfielder, has 74 career home runs and a left-handed bat that can handle right-handed pitching. Both are long shots to make the roster but will compete for depth roles.
The invitations also take on added importance this spring because the Yankees will lose several key players to the World Baseball Classic in March. Aaron Judge will captain Team USA. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is playing for Great Britain. Those absences will create extra playing time for the non-roster invitees and minor leaguers who get called up from the back fields.
Torres’ absence raises more questions than answers
Torres’ exclusion from the list does not necessarily mean his minor-league deal has fallen through. Players on minor-league contracts can report to minor-league camp separately and still be part of the organization. But a non-roster invite to big league spring training is typically the first meaningful step for players like Torres, those signed on minor-league deals with the hope of earning a spot or at least getting noticed.
Without that invitation, Torres will not get reps alongside MLB roster players. He will not face big league pitching in Grapefruit League games. He will not be seen by Aaron Boone and the coaching staff in the setting that matters most.
For a 32-year-old who has not played in an MLB-affiliated system since 2018, that opportunity was the entire point. His Mexican League numbers, no matter how eye-popping, only go so far. Spring training was supposed to be the proving ground.
The Yankees have not commented on the situation. Torres’ status remains unclear. And for a fan base that spent the offseason begging for right-handed hitting depth, the silence is louder than any transaction.
