The New York Yankees announced Tuesday that right-hander Bryce Cunningham has been transferred from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset, giving one of the organization’s top pitching prospects a look at the Eastern League before the minor-league season ends.
Cunningham, the Yankees’ second-round pick in 2024 (53rd overall) out of Vanderbilt, will make his Double-A debut Tuesday night for the Somerset Patriots.
The 23-year-old from Headland, Alabama, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds and has ranked among New York’s top 10 prospects for much of the year.
The move came as part of a trio of organizational transactions that also included reinstating Chris Veach from Somerset’s 60-day injured list and sending Sean Paul Linan from Somerset to Hudson Valley.
Greg Johnson of The Trentonian noted that Cunningham, one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects, will get a taste of Double-A to close the season.
Cunningham’s 2026 numbers at Hudson Valley were mixed. In 17 games (15 starts) he went 2-8 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 69 strikeouts and 37 walks over 80.1 innings.
Those figures represent a step back from a strong 2025 High-A campaign, when he posted a 2.82 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 55 strikeouts against 19 walks in 54.1 innings before arm issues interrupted his year. He opened 2026 on the injured list with arm soreness and was activated in late April.
Scouts have long liked the combination of a mid-90s fastball that can touch 97 and a plus changeup that fades and sinks. Command and a more consistent slider remain the next developmental steps.
Injuries have slowed his climb—he missed significant time in 2025 as well—but the Yankees still view him as a potential mid-rotation starter with a 2027 ETA if he stays healthy.
Hudson Valley is the Yankees’ High-A affiliate, not Single-A; the promotion is still a meaningful jump after two seasons at that level. Cunningham signed for an over-slot $2.297 million bonus after New York selected him 53rd overall. He spent time in the Arizona Fall League after the 2025 season as the organization tried to recoup innings lost to injury.
For a Yankees system that has emphasized college pitching in recent drafts, the late-season assignment to Somerset is both a reward and a test. Double-A hitters will challenge his command more than High-A did.
If Cunningham can tighten his walk rate and keep the changeup playing as a swing-and-miss pitch, the promotion could set him up for a full season at Double-A—or higher—in 2027.
Somerset’s season continues this week, giving Cunningham a handful of starts to show what he can do against more advanced competition before the calendar turns.
