Yankees Announce Decision on 22-Year-Old Shortstop Before Astros Series
· Yahoo Sports
The New York Yankees got to Toronto Blue Jays starter José Soriano for five runs in five innings on Sunday, on their way to a series-clinching 8-3 win over their American League East rivals.
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With the victory, the Yankees gained a game on the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays and now sit just three games behind as they prepare to welcome the AL West-leading Houston Astros to Yankee Stadium for a three-game set starting Monday.
After Sunday’s win, the Yankees announced a roster move with the No. 11 prospect in their system as ranked by MLB Pipeline, activating 22-year-old Double-A shortstop Core Jackson from the 7-day injured list.
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Core Jackson’s Return to the Yankees Farm
Somerset placed Jackson on the injured list Aug. 16 with an unspecified injury, a move made a day after he went 2-for-3 with two walks, two stolen bases, two runs and an RBI. No further details on the injury or its severity have surfaced publicly.
It marked Jackson’s third IL stint of the 2026 season, following two earlier trips at High-A Hudson Valley in May and late July, and it briefly halted his momentum just five games into his Double-A audition, where he had gone 5-for-17 with four walks and four steals before getting hurt.
Jackson is hitting .261 with 12 home runs, 52 RBIs and 36 stolen bases across 83 games this season between Hudson Valley and Somerset, numbers that reflect a dramatic turnaround from an ugly 2025 debut.
James William Core Jackson signed with the Yankees for $147,500 after New York took him in the fifth round, 164th overall, in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Utah, well below the roughly $411,100 slot value attached to the pick, according to MiLB.com.
He batted .364 with 12 homers and 20 steals as a senior at Utah, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors and a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist nod before graduating with a sociology degree. The 22-year-old Sarnia, Ontario native started his college career at Nebraska, transferred to South Mountain Community College, then finished at Utah.
Jackson’s Path to the Bronx
Jackson’s first taste of pro ball was rough. He hit just .183 with a .567 OPS in 25 games at Hudson Valley last year. This season has flipped the script, as he posted a .259 average with 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 32 steals in 78 games before the Yankees promoted him to Double-A Somerset on Aug. 11.
Evaluators still argue about where Jackson ends up on the diamond. He has spent the bulk of his pro career at shortstop, and scouts credit him with smooth actions, solid range and a plus throwing arm that should let him stick there, with his arm rated a 60 on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale, well above average. Some reports have floated a move to second base or a utility role if his bat doesn’t hold up against advancing pitching, but nothing about his defensive profile suggests an imminent shift off the shortstop position.
An MLB timeline remains far off. Jackson’s estimated time of arrival sits at 2028, per MLB Pipeline, and the Yankees have no urgency to rush him past Double-A with Anthony Volpe at shortstop in the Bronx and George Lombard Jr. suddenly seizing the position after his call-up on Aug. 4.
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