Yankees prospect watch: Jorge Mateo, Aaron Judge fight their way out of slumps in minors

Slowly but surely the Yankees are climbing their way out of a hole, nearing the .500 level.

Their farm system is also full of talented prospects fightingtheir respective ways out of slumps or against theinjury bug. Here’s a quick look at the top five guys in the Yanks’ minor leagues and how they’ve performedlately:

Jorge Mateo, Tampa Yankees (Single-A)

Mateo, the 20-year-old top prospect in the Yankees system was red hot three weeks ago. But since mid-May, he’s seen his batting average drop from .346 to .298. In his last 10 games, the shortstop has hit .244. The baby-faced Dominican has to start adjusting to being a professional hitter and has a lot of work left to do.

Aaron Judge, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A)

Judge,24, has been struggling as well. The No. 2 prospect in the system has hit .158 over his last 10 games and has seen his batting average steadily decline to .232. The rightfielderhas been better recently however, tallyingthree RBI and four hits in his last two games in Triple-A.

Gary Sanchez, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A)

Good news and bad news with the Yanks’ top minor league catcher. He was hitting at a .308 clip in his most recent stint in Triple-A with eight hits in his most recent five games. Buthe was placed on the disabled list on May 25with a nondisplaced fracture of his right thumb. He will be re-evaluated after another set of X-rays soon.

James Kaprielian, Tampa Yankees (Single-A)

The only pitcher on the list still resides on the seven-day disabled list — but Yankee officials say the elbow injury he is nursing is not a big deal. Kaprielian pitched for the 2014 United States National Team, and has a 1.50 ERA and 1-2 record in three starts so far in Single-A. He is 22-years-old and is expected to make a quick ascent up the minor-league latter.

Dustin Fowler, Trenton Thunder (Double-A)

Fowler is the hottest of the Yankees’ top five prospects, hitting an impressive .353 over his last 10 games — lifting his batting average all the way to .279. The 21-year-old appears to be finding comfort at the Double-A level.