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The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft kicked off with excitement as the Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 overall pick on Saturday afternoon. For the New York Yankees, the wait was longer, as they had to hold off for 34 picks before making their first selection. However, they made a significant choice, setting a promising tone for their draft.
MLB structured Day 1 to encompass the first four rounds, and since the Yankees did not lose any picks due to free agent-signing qualifying offer compensation, they entered the day with four selections. They welcomed Arkansas left-hander Hunter Dietz, British Columbia prep southpaw Sean Duncan, Oklahoma catcher Brendan Brock, and Cal State Fullerton outfielder Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II into the fold, pending their signings. A detailed analysis of the Yankees’ Day 1 activities can be found in a piece by Jonathan.
On Sunday, the Yankees added sixteen more draft picks to their roster. Given the volume of selections, updates are being organized into three separate posts for better clarity. To streamline the tracking of all Yankees’ picks, a comprehensive tracker has been compiled that will be regularly updated throughout July. If available, players’ Instagram handles are included for fans interested in following their journeys.
The signing process can often be slow, and team assignments may remain unclear for some time. However, updates will be provided as they come in. Players have until 5:00 PM ET on July 27th to finalize their signings, unless they are college seniors who have exhausted their eligibility. Fans are encouraged to share any news in the comments to keep the tracker as accurate as possible.
As a note for fans, teams are allotted $150,000 per pick for selections from Rounds 11-20. This amount does not count against their total bonus pool, but any leftover funds can be allocated to increase offers beyond $150,000 for these players.
On July 13, the Yankees quickly announced that first-rounder Hunter Dietz had already signed, according to Damon Oppenheimer, the VP of scouting for the Yankees. While the slot value has not been disclosed, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reported that Dietz signed for $2,497,500, which is $329.2K under slot value that the Yankees can redistribute elsewhere.
The following day brought further developments. Reports from The Tennessean indicated that second-rounder Sean Duncan, a Vanderbilt commit, is “expected to sign” with the Yankees, so he has been tagged as “Should Sign.” Additionally, Cal State Fullerton and Texas A&M confirmed that fourth-rounder Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II and fifth-rounder Bear Harrison, respectively, are “heading to” the Yankees, marking them as “Will Sign.” Brendan Brock, the third-rounder, has “@yankees” in his Instagram bio, leading to a tentative “Should Sign” designation.
On July 14, Virginia high schooler Lee Garris, the 13th-round pick, posted on Instagram a “next stop” message featuring the Yankees’ logo, indicating he is likely to sign and forgo his commitment to James Madison University. Multiple other players, including Austin, Pettitte, Berggren, Cyr, and Armstrong, have also added “@yankees” to their Instagram bios, signaling their intent to join the organization. However, 10th-rounder Bayram Hot remains a “Should Sign” for now.
Further confirmation came from community member CON MEN, who shared updates that 15th-rounder William Cutshall will sign and that 17th-rounder Jason Krieger has already signed. Cutshall mentioned he is on his way to Tampa to finalize his signing, while Krieger’s head coach at Maine confirmed that he has already signed, with the university posting a photo on Instagram to mark the occasion.
Lastly, Baseball America’s signing tracker noted that ninth-rounder David Leslie received a bonus of $37.5K, which is $166K under slot value. This was anticipated since he was a senior sign, and the surplus funds may be redirected toward one of the prep players or potential transfers the Yankees aim to persuade to go pro. As of July 15, both eighth-rounder Josh Pettitte and 15th-rounder William Cutshall have officially signed, as confirmed through their social media posts and related news.
Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.
