Yankees’ Triple-A Club Revives Highlanders Name

The New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate is adopting the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Highlanders name, replacing the RailRiders ahead of the 2027 season. The team announced the change on November 7, linking the new identity to both local geography and the major-league club’s early history.

The affiliate said its Moosic, Pennsylvania, ballpark, PNC Field, is surrounded by wooded hills and trails. The Highlanders name also recalls the Yankees franchise’s earlier identity, when it played at Hilltop Park in Manhattan’s Washington Heights.

New York used the Highlanders name from 1903 through 1912. The club became the Yankees after moving to the Polo Grounds in 1913.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team joined the Yankees organization for the 2007 season and initially used the Yankees name. It became the RailRiders in 2013, a name it kept through 2026. The rebrand brings the minor-league club back to a name associated with the parent franchise’s beginnings.